Meet Rebecca Welch – 40-Year-Old Who Became First Female Referee In English Premier League

London: Rebecca Welch etched her name into history books as she became the first female referee to officiate in an English Premier League match on Saturday. Welch blew her whistle to start the match between Fulham and Burnley on Saturday in a landmark moment for England’s top league. She was applauded by some fans as she emerged from the tunnel ahead of the match at Craven Cottage. Welch has already worked as the fourth official in the Premier League, for the match between Fulham and Manchester United on November 4.

She has handled matches in the second-tier Championship and FA Cup. Welch has been a referee since 2010, initially balancing the role with her job in the National Health Service before becoming a full-time match official. Earlier, the 40-year-old trailblazer from Washington had also refereed at the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

“I played football and didn’t even think about refereeing until one of my really good friends, who is a referee, refereed us,” she said in an interview with the Independent. “I spent the whole game telling her how to do her job! Her response was, ‘If you think it’s that easy, give it a go.’ That’s how it happened and 10 years later here I am.”

Rebecca Welch becomes the first woman to referee a Premier League game at Fulham vs. Burnley pic.twitter.com/8IIy6UzY43

— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 23, 2023

Welch became the first woman to be appointed as a referee for the EFL match between Harrogate Town and Port Vale in a League Two fixture in 2021. She became a National Group Referee for the 2021/22 season and officiated Birmingham City’s FA Cup third-round tie against Plymouth Argyle, again becoming the first woman to do so in the competition.

With Agency Inputs