Premier League history as Rebecca Welch becomes first female to referee match

23 December 2023 , 15:00

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Premier League history as Rebecca Welch becomes first female to referee match

Rebecca Welch made history as the first woman to referee a Premier League match on Saturday.

The 40-year-old official - who is from Washington in Tyne and Wear - took charge of Fulham's clash with Burnley at Craven Cottage, marking an historic day for the English top-flight. Not only is it a step forward for the game, but it also caps off a remarkable journey for the trailblazer.

She started her refereeing career in 2010 while still working for the NHS. She earned her badges through the Durham County Football Association and quickly moved up the ranks, officiating university and Sunday league games.

Fast forward just over a decade, and two-and-a-half years after becoming the first woman to referee an English Football League match, Welch's decisions will now be watched by millions of fans worldwide. It's not a job for the faint-hearted, but Welch, who was the first female fourth official in a Premier League game last November, is breaking new ground.

Burnley boss Vincent Kompany and Fulham manager Marco Silva are backing her. "It's certainly a benchmark and milestone," said Kompany before his team's trip to London. He added: "I think she’ll take great pride in having done it herself. There’s a lot of women – in general, but in the game as well specifically – who will see this as a way to achieve at the highest level.

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"I am always pro any kind of extension anyway because what it does is widen the pool of talent. We need access to all the available talent, the best referees in the best league in the world.

Rebecca Welch made Premier League history on Saturday (AP)

"It shouldn't be really about the official or the manager. It should be about the players and, in that sense, I can't see why we wouldn't have that normality. Of course the story is bigger and deserves to be bigger, but once the whistle blows every actor on the day will want the players to be highlighted."

Silva added: "For us it will be a normal situation. Of course it will be the first time so everyone has to talk about it, but when the game starts it is going to be another Premier League game, with people with good ability to be a manager, a player or to be a referee. We will not even talk about it before the match because for us she is the ref, like she was the fourth official some weeks ago in our game against Manchester United, and for us it was a normal situation.

"We have to always respect all the officials and she's going to be welcomed. She got this chance because she deserves it for sure and she has the ability to be at the level she is going to be."

* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]

Matt Maltby