Who is Rebecca Welch set to create English Premier League history?

Rebecca Welch is all set to create history in the Premier League, as she has been selected to officiate the match between Fulham and Burnley on December 23rd at Craven Cottage, making her the first ever female match referee in the English top division. Welch officiated for the first time in a men’s game in the Championship back in April 2021, and an FA Cup game in January 2022.

In a season that has mostly been about referees, their VAR audio clips and their statements, Welch is set to give a positive note towards refereeing in the league. Along with Rebecca Welch, Sam Allison makes history as the first black referee in 15 years to officiate in a Premier League game, as he is all set to referee Sheffield United vs. Luton Town on Boxing Day.

Who is Rebecca Welch?

Rebecca Welch is a 40-year old female referee with a lot of experience in the game overall, if not in men’s football matches. Since starting to officiate in 2010, Welch has accomplished many ‘firsts’. She has been in charge of games in the Women’s Super League, the Women’s Champions League, and the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand this year. 

In 2021, she was the first woman to referee a game for men as she took charge of a Championship match. In the following year, she was the first woman to referee in the FA Cup. 

PGMOL Head of Referees Howard Webb, while revealing the news stated, “We have not seen a female take charge of a Premier League game before so it’s significant”. He added, “The profile of the game[s] will serve as a role model for others in under-represented communities and that is undoubtedly a positive”.

She was previously in the news when there were abuses directed at her. There were arrests made on suspicion of misogynistic chants at Welch during Birmingham’s Championship game against Sheffield Wednesday last month.

Fans left skeptic of Rebecca Welch’s officiating prowess

Although it is a historic milestone for Rebecca Welch, she will have to silence many doubters, as the news of her appointment did not please everyone. In a season that has been full of refereeing drama, from managers like Mikel Arteta and Paul Heckingbottom criticizing decisions, to Erling Haaland aggressively storming at officials, Welch will have zero room for error to allow any of it to repeat. 

Fans active in social media had two sides on Welch’s appointment, one being happy with the representation, and the other bringing out errors made by her in the previous games.

An X, formerly Twitter, user posted a wrong decision made by her, and sarcastically wrote, “She’s class”, while another user replied to the said post by writing, “Should fit right in with the rest of the awful refs in the prem”.

Welch did feature in a Premier League game previously, when she was appointed the fourth official for Manchester United’s game against Fulham earlier this season.

While representation is necessary and positive? Do you think it compromises with the quality of officiating? Let us know in the comments.