Next week, for the first time in history, a female referee will take charge of a Premier League match. On December 23, Rebecca Welch has to manage Fulham – Burnley. In addition, Sam Allison becomes the first black referee in the Premier League in fifteen years. He refereed the match between Sheffield United and Luton Town on December 26.

Forty-year-old Welch started whistling in 2010. In her early years she combined refereeing with her job in the English healthcare system, the NHS. She has now given up that job to fully focus on her career in football.

In 2021, Welch became the first woman to officiate a match in League Two, England's fourth tier. Then she refereed the match between Harrogate Town and Port Vale. In January this year she became the first woman to referee a Championship match. She was in charge of Birmingham City – Preston North End.

She also became the first woman to referee a match in the third round of the men's FA Cup. Welch is a leading referee in the Women's Super League, England's top level of women's football. In 2017 and 2020 she refereed the women's FA Cup final at Wembley.

In December 2020, Welch was added to FIFA's elite list, allowing her to referee matches at the 2022 European Championship and the 2023 Women's World Cup. Last month she became the first woman to be part of a refereeing team at a Premier League match. She acted as fourth official at the match between Fulham and Manchester United.

“I played football and didn't even think about becoming a referee until one of my very good friends, who is a referee, refereed us,” she said in an interview with The Independent. “I spent the entire game telling her how to do her job! Her response was, “If you think it's that easy, give it a try.” That's how it happened and ten years later I'm standing here.”

Allison
After fifteen years, Sam Allison (42) will become the first black referee to referee a match in the Premier League. Allison, who was active as a player at semi-professional level, initially combined refereeing with his work as a firefighter.

In 2020, following his promotion to the professional level in England, he became the fifth black referee in English professional football after Uriah Rennie, Trevor Parkes, Phil Prosser and Joe Ross. At the start of the 2023/24 season he was promoted again and was allowed to referee matches in the Championship.

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