This Saturday, Rebecca Welch became the first woman to referee, as a main referee, a Premier League match. The 40-year-old Englishwoman directed the matchday 18 matchday match between Fulham and Burnley at the Craven Cottage stadium, which ended in a victory for the bottom team (0-2) with two great goals from Odobert and Sander Berge.
It is not usually good news that the referee's performance makes headlines in a game, except in the case of Welch. The referee controlled a match with many inaccuracies and few clear chances. The only delicate action was a handball by Amdouni in the first half's added time that did not result in a penalty for Fulham.
In the second half the visitors' goals arrived and the pace did not stop in the final minutes where Fulham turned to try for a goal that would put them in the game. At the final whistle, Welch was greeted cordially by players from both teams without apparently any reproach.
Welch already made history in 2021 by directing Harrogate-Port Vale of League Two, the fourth division, and in 2022 being the first referee in an FA Cup duel, in Birmingham-Plymouth. Although Welch will go down in history as the first referee officially chosen to officiate an English football match, Amy Fear already refereed the final minutes of the match between Coventry City and Nottingham in February 2010 due to an injury to the main referee.
Welch, born in Washington, in the county of Sunderland, combined her refereeing work with her work in Public Health between 2010 and 2019. In women's football she has a great career with Champions League matches, the 2022 Euro Cup and the 2023 World Cup. In December 2020, Welch was included in the FIFA Elite List of referees for international matches.
