- The 40-year-old becomes the first woman to officiate a Premier League match
- Rebecca Welch will make history when she guides Fulham against Burnley
- CHRIS SUTTON: Nuno Espirito Santo’s appointment at Forest is disappointing – Listen to It all starts
Rebecca Welch has arrived at Craven Cottage as she prepares to become the first woman to officiate a Premier League match when Fulham takes on Burnley on Saturday.
The pioneering official has already written herself into the record books as the first woman to work as a fourth official in a Premier League match during Man United’s victory over Fulham in November.
The 40-year-old also became the first woman to officiate an EFL match two years ago and followed that up as the first to take charge of a men’s FA Cup match in January last year.
Welch has built a global reputation as one of the most promising officials in both the men’s and women’s games and continues her rise this weekend at Craven Cottage.
Her involvement in the Clarets’ latest top-flight match coincides with a period of improved diversity within the PGMOL under the administration of Howard Webb.
Rebecca Welch will make history today as she becomes the first woman to referee a Premier League match
Welch inspected the Craven Cottage pitch ahead of Fulham’s Premier League match against Burnley
The 40-year-old also became the first woman to officiate an EFL match two years ago
Your browser does not support iframes.
Sam Allison will become the first black referee to officiate a Premier League match when he takes charge of the Boxing Day clash between Sheffield United and Luton.
Meanwhile, Welch has enjoyed a meteoric rise in both men’s and women’s sports in recent years.
She was the first female referee to take charge of a professional match in England two years ago and also officiated several matches at the Women’s World Cup.
Welch tested the goal-line technology at Craven Cottage ahead of the 3pm kick-off
PGMOL chief Webb explained that he was ‘excited’ to see Welch get her chance in the Premier League. , we’ll see Sam Allison take charge of his first match.
‘They are both part of the PGMOL development group. It is an initiative linked to the Elite Referee Development Plan, which has been in place for a few years now to fast-track talented officials into the pathway.
‘We’ve never seen a woman take charge of a Premier League match before, so it’s significant. Then Sam was the first black official since Uriah Rennie – an ex-colleague of mine – [which is] right down to the quality of his performances in recent weeks in the Football League and Championship.
“Both appointments are well deserved,” Webb added.
