Who is Rebecca Welch? Meet the female Premier League referee making history in charge of Fulham vs Burnley
Rebecca Welch will make history this weekend by becoming the first female to referee a Premier League match.
The 39-year-old will be in charge of Fulham vs Burnley on Saturday after the PGMOL announced official appointments earlier this month.
Welch became the first woman to be a fourth official in the Premier League at Craven Cottage earlier this season for the Cottagers' fixture against Manchester United.
She also became the first female referee of an EFL match when she took charge of a League Two clash between Harrogate and Port Vale in April 2021.
Wendy Toms was the first woman to be appointed as a top-flight assistant referee in 1997 before Sian Massey-Ellis and Natalie Aspinall were handed their opportunities more recently.
Former player Welch, who qualified as an official through the Durham County FA, ventured into officiating at the age of 27 after being encouraged to do so by a friend.
She went on to referee in university football and in Sunday league games in Sunderland before going on to combine the role with an administrative job with the NHS.
Welch is a regular in the Women’s Super League and was a part of the officiating team at this summer’s Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
She became the first woman to referee a men's Championship match earlier this year when she took charge of Birmingham’s game with Preston in January.
Welch also officiated Birmingham’s FA Cup clash against Plymouth in the same month and in doing so, she became the first female to referee in a third-round tie.
Ahead of Welch's historic Premier League debut as a referee, Burnley manager Vincent Kompany has been speaking about the appointment.
“It is a milestone,” Kompany said. “I think she will take great pride in having done it
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