The Premier League Will See Its First Female Referee on December 23

Rebecca Welch is set to make history in the Premier League as its first female referee by officiating the Fulham vs. Burnley match on December 23, the league announced on Thursday.

Welch is not new to the Premier League environment, having previously served as the fourth official in a match between Fulham and Manchester United on November 4. Her trailblazing journey includes being the first woman to referee games in England’s second-tier Championship and the FA Cup.

Her refereeing career started in 2010, and she initially juggled refereeing with her role in the National Health Service before transitioning to a full-time official.

Female referees have already been making strides in other countries. In Germany, Bibiana Steinhaus became the first woman to referee a Bundesliga match in 2017. Steinhaus, who is married to Howard Webb, the chief refereeing officer of England’s top refereeing body, paved the way for greater gender representation in officiating.

French referee Stéphanie Frappart has also been a pioneer, becoming the first woman to oversee a men’s World Cup game with the Germany vs. Costa Rica match in November last year. Frappart has been officiating games in the Champions League and French league since 2019.

In another significant development, the Premier League announced that Sam Allison will be the first Black official to referee a match in the league in 15 years, overseeing the Sheffield United vs. Luton game on December 26. The last Black official in the Premier League, Uriah Rennie, served until 2008.