Rebecca Welch is set to become the first woman to referee a Premier League match after being appointed to officiate Fulham vs Burnley on Saturday December 23.
Welch, 40, has long been a trailblazer in men’s football, having become the first woman to be appointed to referee an EFL (English Football League) match in April 2021 and the first to take charge of a men’s FA Cup fixture in January 2022.
Sam Allison, 42, will also become the first black official to referee a Premier League game since Uriah Rennie in 2008 when he takes charge of Sheffield United vs Luton on Boxing Day.
The Premier League said on its website on Thursday: “History will be made when Fulham host Burnley on Saturday 23 December, with Rebecca Welch becoming the Premier League’s first woman referee.”
Welch was also appointed as the fourth official for Manchester United’s 1-0 victory at Fulham in November, becoming the first woman to take on the role in the Premier League.
She has also previously refereed in the National League, while she regularly officiates in the Women’s Super League (WSL) and appeared at the Women’s World Cup earlier this year.
Welch, from Washington in Tyne and Wear, became a referee in 2010, balancing the role alongside her job in the NHS.
Alex Batty: British boy missing since 2017 found in France after ‘walking in mountain for days’
Gaynor Lord: New footage of missing Norwich woman released
Gaynor Lord search – latest: Police ‘can’t explain behaviour’ of missing mother on day she disappeared – as teams search river
Meanwhile Allison makes the step up to the Premier League after several seasons in the EFL.
He was promoted to the Championship at the start of the 2023/24 season.
Allison played for Swindon, Bristol City, Bournemouth and Exeter before beginning his refereeing career while also working as a firefighter.
He turned to full-time refereeing and officiated in the Football League from 2020, where he has taken charge of more than 100 matches.
He was the fourth official for the Premier League game between Brighton and Chelsea in October last year.
In January, Bhupinder Singh Gill became the first Sikh-Punjabi to officiate in the Premier League when he was appointed as an assistant referee for Nottingham Forest’s trip to Southampton.
Read more on Sky News:
British boy who never returned from 2017 holiday found in France
New footage of missing Gaynor Lord released
Gary Lineker’s most controversial posts – from Rwanda to Brexit
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
The appointments come as the FA has pledged to increase diversity among officials.
It hopes to recruit 1,000 new referees from diverse backgrounds in the next three years.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive Breaking News alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News App. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.