Rebecca Welch to be Premier League’s first woman referee when she leads Fulham vs Burnley

The Festive Fixtures will include history made in the Premier League times two, as Rebecca Welch is set to become the competition’s first woman referee and Sam Allison the first black official to take charge of a match for 15 years.

Welch already made Premier League history in November when she was the first woman to be appointed to the role of fourth official for a game, overseeing Manchester United’s 1-0 win at Fulham on Saturday.

Now she’ll be the head referee for Burnley’s visit to Fulham on Saturday, December 23.

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The 39-year-old from Northeast England began her officiating career in 2010 and, according to premierleague.com, is “a former NHS administrator who studied to be a referee with Durham County FA. Welch was the first woman to be appointed to take charge of an EFL match when League Two side Port Vale played Harrogate in April 2021.”

She was the first female referee to oversee an FA Cup third round tie when she took the reins for Birmingham City vs Plymouth Argyle in 2021-22.

Sian Massey-Ellis — who will be assistant VAR for the match — has handled fourth official duties before but that happened due to a change inside of a match. Welch is the first to be appointed to the gig, and is also the fourth woman to be part of the team of officials for a Premier League match, following on from assistant referees Wendy Toms, Natalie Aspinall, and Massey-Ellis.

Sam Allison will be in charge for Sheffield United vs Luton Town on Boxing Day, where he’s set to become the Premier League’s first black referee since Uriah Rennie, who was a PL referee for 11 years before stepping away in 2008.

Allison, 42, played for Swindon Town, Bristol City, Bournemouth, and Exeter City before becoming a referee.

In 2020, the former firefighter became the third black referee to officiate in the EFL, following in the footsteps of Rennie and Trevor Parkes.

He has over 100 FL matches under his belt.

LEICESTER, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 25: Referee Sam Allison during the Sky Bet Championship match between Leicester City and Watford at King Power Stadium on November 25, 2023 in Leicester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)

Leicester City FC via Getty Images