When Rebecca Welch blew the whistle during Fulham’s game versus Burnley at Craven Cottage, she became the first woman to referee an English Premier League football match.
Rebecca Welch sounded the whistle during Fulham’s match against Burnley at Craven Cottage on Saturday, making history as the first female referee of an English Premier League football game. In 2010, Welch, a forty-year-old Washington resident in northeastern England, started her job as a referee while employed by the National Health Service. After working her way up the officiating ranks, she was nominated to referee the English Football League’s fourth-tier match between Harrogate and Port Vale in 2021, making history as the first female referee.
Welch was also the first female official to officiate FA Cup third-round matches and Championship games.
She made Premier League history last month when she officiated Fulham’s match against Manchester United, becoming the first woman to serve as a fourth official in a match.
Additionally, Welch has overseen a number of well-known women’s events, such as matches at the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
