- Welch: First female Premier League referee
- Allison: Historic Boxing Day role
- FA aims diverse referee recruitment
Welch, aged 40, has established herself as a pioneering figure in men’s football by becoming the first woman to preside over a men’s FA Cup match in January 2022 and the first woman to be appointed as an EFL referee in April 2021.
On Saturday, December 23, Rebecca Welch will be the first woman to serve as a Premier League referee when assigned to the match between Burnley and Fulham.
Welch, aged 40, has established herself as a pioneering figure in men’s football by becoming the first woman to preside over a men’s FA Cup match in January 2022 and the first woman to be appointed as an EFL (English Football League) referee in April 2021.
Sam Allison, 42, will also make history on Boxing Day by officiating the Premier League match between Sheffield United and Luton. Before that, no black official had done so since Uriah Rennie in 2008.
On Thursday, the Premier League announced on its website, “On Saturday, December 23, at Fulham against Burnley, Rebecca Welch will make Premier League history as the league’s first female referee.”
In November, Welch served as the fourth official for Manchester United’s 1-0 triumph over Fulham, marking the Premier League’s first instance of a female assuming this position.
In addition to her prior experience as a referee in the National League, she currently serves as a regular official in the Women’s Super League (WSL) and appeared at the Women’s World Cup earlier this year.
Welch, a native of Washington, Tyne and Wear, assumed the referee position in 2010, managing it in addition to her NHS position.
Conversely, Allison ascends to the Premier League after several seasons in the EFL.
His promotion to the Championship commenced during the 2023–24 season.
Allison served as a firefighter and former player for Swindon, Bristol City, Bournemouth, and Exeter before embarking on a referee career.
Since 2020, he has been a full-time referee in the Football League, presiding over over one hundred matches.
In October of the previous year, he was the fourth official for the Premier League match between Brighton and Chelsea.
While serving as an assistant referee for Nottingham Forest’s match at Southampton in January, Bhupinder Singh Gill became the first Sikh-Punjabi to preside over a game in the Premier League.
The FA has made these appointments to increase the diversity of its officials.
In the following three years, it intends to enlist one thousand new referees who represent a variety of origins.
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