Rebecca Welch makes history at Craven Cottage, becoming Premier League's first female ref
Rebecca Welch became the first woman to referee an English Premier League football match when she blew the whistle on Fulham's game against Burnley at Craven Cottage. Welch, a 40-year-old from Washington in northeast England, was working for the National Health Service when she began her refereeing career in 2010. She rose through the officiating ranks and, in 2021, became the first woman appointed to referee a match in the English Football League when she took charge of the fourth-tier fixture between Harrogate and Port Vale. Welch was also the first female official to referee matches in the Championship and third round of the FA Cup.
