Rebecca Welch to become the first female referee in the Premier League
Rebecca Welch will become the first female referee to officiate a Premier League game as she will take charge of Fulham vs Burnley on December 23.
Moreover, Sam Allison will become the first black referee to take charge of a Premier League match for 15 years. He will officiate Sheffield United vs Luton Town on December 26.
Uriah Rennie was the Premier League’s last black referee. He retired from officiating in English football’s top four divisions in 2009.
Howard Webb discusses ‘pivotal moment’ for referees
PGMOL’s head of referees, Howard Webb, said: “They are both part of the PGMOL development group, which fast-tracks talented officials through the pathway.
“We have not seen a female take charge of a Premier League game before so it’s significant, and Sam being the first Black official with a whistle in the Premier League since Uriah Rennie. It demonstrates people can make it through the pathway from groups that are not traditionally well represented.”
Welch will become a role model for female referees in the future. Last month she was the fourth official for Fulham vs Manchester United in the Premier League, the first female to fulfil that role.
Moreover, Welch has also officiated in high-profile games in the Women’s Super League and refereed both the 2017 and 2020 Women’s FA Cup finals at Wembley. She also took charge of games at the 2022 Women’s European Championship and this year’s Women’s World Cup.
Sam Allison becomes the first black Premier League referee for 15 years
Allison is a former player and played with Bristol City, Bournemouth, Swindon Town and Exeter City throughout his career.
Furthermore, he combined his refereeing with a job as a firefighter but later turned his attention to officiating full-time. Allison was promoted to the Football League in 2020 and moved to the second-tier Championship earlier this year.
8% of officials are of black or Asian ethnicity, but only 3% in professional football. Moreover, no black or Asian referee has taken charge of a Premier League game since Rennie’s final match in 2008.
