English football is set to make history with the introduction of a female referee for the very first time in a Premier League game. Rebecca Welch will be the one to take this record as she was confirmed as the official referee for Fulham’s league fixture against Burnley. The match will be taking place on December 23 at Craven Cottage. This won’t be the first time that Welch will make refereeing history in the sport. Earlier this year in November, Welch became the first woman to be involved in a refereeing capacity during a Premier League game. She had been appointed the fourth official in Manchester United’s 1-0 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Rebecca Welch also became the first woman to referee a men’s championship game in January. She took up refereeing in 2010 and has officiated in both the Women’s Super League and the Women’s Champions League. She has also shared a refereeing capacity in the EFL and was the first to referee in the FA Cup in 2022. Welch was also a part of the referee team for the recent Women’s World Cup that took place in Australia and New Zealand.
The latest additions to the Premier League’s refereeing appointments also saw Sam Allison being confirmed as the league’s first black referee for 15 years. Allison has been appointed in charge of the Sheffield United vs Luton Town game on boxing day. Uriah Rennie was the English top-flight’s last black referee who retired from the sport back in 2009. The last non-white referee to officiate in the Premier League was Jarnail Singh who decided to end his career in 2010.
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Both Rebecca Welch and Sam Allison belong to the development group of officials under the Professional Game Match Officials Limited. The primary objective of this refereeing group is to improve the refereeing quality among the top divisions in England.
Rebecca Welch’s historic appointment will see her return to West London for the Cottager’s clash on the weekend. Fulham are currently in 10th place with just six wins in 16 games. They have been phenomenal in their last two matches, recording 5-0 victories against both Nottingham Forest and West Ham. They have scored a total of 16 goals in their last four games in the Premier League. Whereas Burnley currently sit in the relegation zone with just two wins in their 16 league games this season. They have won only one of their last six fixtures and will be looking to recover their campaign this weekend.
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