BREAKING: Premier League appoints first female referee

Rebecca Welch is set to become the first female referee to officiate a Premier League match when she takes charge of Fulham’s game against Burnley on December 23.

The historic appointment comes just months after the 40 year old made her debut as a fourth official in the Premier League, becoming the first woman to do so.

Welch has long been a trailblazer in men’s football, having become the first woman to be appointed to referee an EFL match in April 2021 and the first to take charge of a men’s FA Cup fixture in January 2022

In 2021, she was the first woman to be appointed to referee a match in the Football League when taking charge of the fourth-tier fixture between Harrogate and Port Vale.

Last month she became the first woman to act as fourth official in a Premier League game as part of the team for Fulham’s match against Manchester United.

Welch has also taken charge of several high-profile women’s fixtures, including games at the 2023 Women’s World Cup

For Diaspora Digital Media Updates click on Whatsapp, or Telegram. For eyewitness accounts/ reports/ articles, write to: citizenreports@diasporadigitalmedia.com. Follow us on X (Fomerly Twitter) or Facebook