Rebecca Welch Confirmed As First Female Referee In Premier League History

Rebecca Welch will take charge of Fulham vs Burnley on December 23 when she will become the first female referee in 32 seasons of the Premier League.

The Premier League has confirmed that Rebecca Welch will take charge of Fulham vs Burnley on December 23 when she will become the first female referee in the competition's 32-season history.

Welch - who was the fourth official for Manchester United's 1-0 win at Fulham in November - has already refereed six games in England's second division, the EFL Championship.

News of Welch's upcoming promotion to the Premier League has been greeted positively by many top managers in England.

Rebecca Welch will become the first woman to referee a game in the Premier League later this month :: IMAGO/PA Images/Bradley Collyer

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola said this week: "Excellent news. Hopefully in the future there can be more. Everybody is more involved. It is good."

Newcastle's Eddie Howe added: "I think it's a great moment. For me, it's got to be based on ability, not gender, ability to referee and I fully support it."

Meanwhile, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said: "It is great news. I wish her all the best, it will be really positive. The diversity we have is incredibly positive for the league. It is something that was needed."

Although Welch will be the first woman to referee in the Premier League, there have been female referees working in some of Europe's top leagues for many years.

Stephanie Frappart made her debut in Ligue 1 in 2019 and has since established herself as one of France's top refs, earning herself a call-up to the 2022 FIFA Men's World Cup.

Referee Stephanie Frappart pictured during a UEFA Champions League game between Juventus and Dynamo Kyiv in 2020 :: IMAGO/Insidefoto/Federico Tardito

Elsewhere, Maria Ferrieri Caputi is frequently appointed to referee games in Italy's Serie A, while Bibiana Steinhaus was a regular in the German Bundesliga between 2017 and 2020 when she retired from working on the pitch. She now works as a VAR (video assistant referee).

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino coached Paris Saint-Germain in France from January 2021 to July 2022 and was impressed by Frappart's refereeing style.

Reacting this week to Welch's Premier League appointment, Pochettino said: "When we were in France, Stephanie is a female referee and she was really, really good.

"And why not? I think the capacity is there. I think [we should] open our minds and everyone has the quality, we have to make sure the people are about the quality."

Who Is Referee Rebecca Welch?

Welch, 40, refereed three matches at this year's FIFA Women's World Cup.

Her rise through the ranks since she began refereeing in and around Sunderland in 2010 has been almost meteoric.

She balanced her refereeing career with an administrative job in the National Health Service until 2019, when she went full-time.

In 2021, she became the first female official to referee a professional men's game in England when she oversaw a League Two clash between Port Vale and Harrogate Town.

Welch then made her debut in the EFL Championship earlier this year by taking charge of Birmingham City versus Preston North End.

Welch pictured during a game between Australia and Denmark at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup :: IMAGO/ZUMA Wire/Kim Price