Rebecca Welch has made history by becoming the first female referee to officiate a Premier League game.
The English Premier League announced this landmark appointment on their official website on Thursday, December 14.
Meanwhile, The Sun recalled when Welch was delighted to get grief while making referee history in a League Two match between Harrogate and Port Valen in April 2021.
The 40-year-old revealed players ‘chewed her ear off’ when she made ref history, according to The Sun.
Welch became the first woman to officiate an EFL match between League Two clubs Harrogate and Port Vale.
And despite the constant flashing of cameras to capture the significant day, the 40-year-old was delighted when the players started giving her grief.
Speaking in a Q&A in aid of North East mental health charity If U Care Share, Welch said: "The players didn’t treat me any differently - they were still chewing my ear off as they went past."
“That was nice because I was a bit afraid of them not being like that."
“You want players to go, ‘You got that one wrong, ref,’ or ‘It’s gone so well in the last 10 minutes."
“You need that and when I got it I felt normal and that I could just referee the game."
It also appears Rebecca Welch will not appreciate the massively increased attention she will get from TV coverage in the Premier League as she narrated her experience in April 2021.
After massive media interest at Harrogate, Welch admitted: “I was sick of hearing the camera clicking, but it’s the nature of the beast."
“People say it went really well but, for me, it was just a normal game.”
The optimistic Washington referee boldly said when she was 37 that she would be in the history books in 50 years.
Welch added: “In 50 years I’ll be in the history books - it’s really nice but, yeah, it’s a game of football."
“But I understand the bigger picture that it’s not about one game, it’s about inspiring the next generation to come through."
“The next step is definitely the Football League (permanently).”
Interestingly, she has achieved what no one of her gender has done having bagged herself the opportunity to officiate a Premier League match three years after breaking EFL's record.
Her first game as a central referee will be the Premier League match between Fulham and Burnley on Saturday, December 23.
The 40-year-old made history in 2021 as the first woman to referee an EFL match when she officiated the League Two fixture between Harrogate Town and Port Vale.
Throughout her career, Welch has also officiated prestigious matches in the Women’s Super League and served as the referee for both the 2017 and 2020 Women’s FA Cup finals at Wembley Stadium.
Her accomplishments continued in December 2020 when she was added to FIFA’s Elite List of International Match Officials.
She proceeded to officiate matches at the 2022 UEFA Women’s European Championship and the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Breaking more barriers, she became the first woman to referee matches in the Championship and FA Cup third round.
In addition, she recently made history as the first woman to act as the fourth official in Manchester United's 1-0 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage in November.
Rebecca Welch has joined Sam Allison to become the fourth and fifth referee from PGMOL’s Select Group 2 to officiate a Premier League match, following the lead of Sam Barrott, Bobby Madley, and Josh Smith.
Meanwhile, Sam Allison has been confirmed as the first black referee in the top flight for 15 years.
The 42-year-old ex-footballer will oversee the Premier League clash between Sheffield United and Luton on Boxing Day.
The English Premier League announced this landmark appointment on their official website on Thursday, December 14.
Meanwhile, The Sun recalled when Welch was delighted to get grief while making referee history in a League Two match between Harrogate and Port Valen in April 2021.
The 40-year-old revealed players ‘chewed her ear off’ when she made ref history, according to The Sun.
Welch became the first woman to officiate an EFL match between League Two clubs Harrogate and Port Vale.
And despite the constant flashing of cameras to capture the significant day, the 40-year-old was delighted when the players started giving her grief.
Speaking in a Q&A in aid of North East mental health charity If U Care Share, Welch said: "The players didn’t treat me any differently - they were still chewing my ear off as they went past."
“That was nice because I was a bit afraid of them not being like that."
“You want players to go, ‘You got that one wrong, ref,’ or ‘It’s gone so well in the last 10 minutes."
“You need that and when I got it I felt normal and that I could just referee the game."
It also appears Rebecca Welch will not appreciate the massively increased attention she will get from TV coverage in the Premier League as she narrated her experience in April 2021.
After massive media interest at Harrogate, Welch admitted: “I was sick of hearing the camera clicking, but it’s the nature of the beast."
“People say it went really well but, for me, it was just a normal game.”
The optimistic Washington referee boldly said when she was 37 that she would be in the history books in 50 years.
Welch added: “In 50 years I’ll be in the history books - it’s really nice but, yeah, it’s a game of football."
“But I understand the bigger picture that it’s not about one game, it’s about inspiring the next generation to come through."
“The next step is definitely the Football League (permanently).”
Interestingly, she has achieved what no one of her gender has done having bagged herself the opportunity to officiate a Premier League match three years after breaking EFL's record.
Her first game as a central referee will be the Premier League match between Fulham and Burnley on Saturday, December 23.
Rebecca Welch's refereeing career
Welch, who originated from Washington, began her refereeing career in 2010 while working in the National Health Service before transitioning to becoming a full-time referee.The 40-year-old made history in 2021 as the first woman to referee an EFL match when she officiated the League Two fixture between Harrogate Town and Port Vale.
Throughout her career, Welch has also officiated prestigious matches in the Women’s Super League and served as the referee for both the 2017 and 2020 Women’s FA Cup finals at Wembley Stadium.
Her accomplishments continued in December 2020 when she was added to FIFA’s Elite List of International Match Officials.
She proceeded to officiate matches at the 2022 UEFA Women’s European Championship and the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Breaking more barriers, she became the first woman to referee matches in the Championship and FA Cup third round.
In addition, she recently made history as the first woman to act as the fourth official in Manchester United's 1-0 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage in November.
Rebecca Welch has joined Sam Allison to become the fourth and fifth referee from PGMOL’s Select Group 2 to officiate a Premier League match, following the lead of Sam Barrott, Bobby Madley, and Josh Smith.
Meanwhile, Sam Allison has been confirmed as the first black referee in the top flight for 15 years.
The 42-year-old ex-footballer will oversee the Premier League clash between Sheffield United and Luton on Boxing Day.