BBC
Rebecca Welch made history on Saturday when she became the first woman to referee a Premier League fixture.
The 40-year-old took charge of Fulham’s match against Burnley at Craven Cottage, which kicked off at 15:00 GMT.
Welch became a referee in 2010 when she combined it with a job in the NHS, before becoming a full-time official in 2019.
In January, Welch became the first woman to referee a men’s fixture in the Championship.
She returned to Craven Cottage a month on from serving as the fourth official during Fulham’s 1-0 Premier League defeat by Manchester United.
Welch was the first woman to take charge of an FA Cup third-round tie in 2022 after being added to the EFL’s national list for men’s football, which oversees both League One and League Two fixtures.
The referee, who hails from Washington in Tyne and Wear, has been a leading light for English officials in the Women’s Super League.
Her work has been recognised on the international stage too as she was added to Fifa’s elite list of international match officials in December 2020, before refereeing at the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in the summer.
