The first ever female official to be appointed to referee a Football League fixture and, later, the first to referee a Premier League game, Rebecca Welch has written her name into the refereeing history books.

Born in Washington in Tyne and Wear, Rebecca rose through the reffing ranks at pace, starting out in 2010 by taking charge of Sunday league and non-league games, before rising to become a respected official in the professional ranks. Initially, Rebecca trained alongside her job in the NHS, ultimately becoming a full-time referee in 2019.

By this time, Rebecca was a FIFA-listed referee, and had taken charge of key WSL fixtures, as well as the 2017 Women’s FA Cup Final. In 2020, her growing status was rewarded with a place in UEFA’s elite women’s list.

One year later, in March 2021, she became the first woman to be appointed to referee an EFL fixture, taking charge of a League Two fixture between Harrogate Town and Port Vale. Before the year was out, she followed this up with another groundbreaking milestone: the first female referee to officiate an FA Cup Third Round tie.

On the international scene, Rebecca served as one of the match officials at the 2022 Women’s EUROs, before fulfilling similar duties at the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Welch made national headlines in late 2023 when she became the first female referee to take charge of a Premier League fixture, officiating the match between Fulham and Burnley at Craven Cottage on 23 December. Later that season, she reffed the Women’s Champion’s League final in Bilbao, before overseeing a number of games at the 2024 Olympic Games.

By the time she hung up her whistle in August 2024, Rebecca Welch had made history through a number of significant firsts for female officials: a testament to her skill, hard work and dedication.

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