Rebecca Welch will officiate Fulham vs. Burnley on December 23, and she will become the first female referee for a Premier League match.
Welch, 40, started officiating in 2010 and became the first female official to officiate a men’s championship game in January.
Rebecca Welch to become Premier League’s first female referee
Sam Allison will become the Premier League’s first black referee in fifteen years when he officiates a top-tier game in December.
On December 26, he will be in charge of Sheffield United’s game against Luton.
The last black referee in the league, Uriah Rennie, left the top four divisions of English football in 2009. Jarnail Singh, the last non-white referee in the EFL, retired in 2010.
Howard Webb, the head referee, told BBC Sport that “these are pivotal moments for Rebecca and Sam, who are two officials of real quality.”
The Football Association announced plans in July to raise the number of referees from “historically underrepresented” backgrounds by 50% by 2026. The goal is to add 1,000 women and 1,000 black or Asian referees to all football levels in three years.
Only 3% of professional football players are Asian or black, compared to 8% of officials. Since Rennie’s last match in 2008, no Asian or black referee has officiated a Premier League game.
Former firefighter Allison was promoted to the Football League in 2020 and advanced to the Championship earlier this year. Allison has previously expressed her support for more officials from underrepresented backgrounds.
Along with officiating Women’s Super League and Women’s Champions League matches and officiating the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand this summer, Welch has also officiated in the Championship this year.
In 2022, Rebecca Welch became the first female referee for an FA Cup third-round contest when Rebecca was added to the EFL’s national men’s football list, which manages League One and League Two matches.
In November, Welch created history by becoming the first female official in the Premier League when she filled the fourth official position during Manchester United’s 1-0 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage.
“Rebecca has been exposed to some big games, and I am really confident Rebecca Welch will deliver a game in the Premier League and be a really good model for women and girls to think refereeing is for them,” stated Webb.
“Sam also deserves a shot. Perhaps other young people who had previously believed refereeing might not be for them will look up to it as a role model.
“Hopefully they can show that refereeing can be for anybody; if you have the love of the game and the qualities required, you can make it to the very top.”
