Rebecca Welch made history at the weekend as the first to be appointed fourth official for a Premier League match after overseeing Manchester United’s 1-0 win at Fulham on Saturday.
The 39-year-old from the North East of England began her refereeing career in 2010 and, according to premierleague. com, is “a former NHS administrator who studied to be a referee at the Durham County FA. Welch was the first woman to be appointed to evaluate an EFL match when Ligue 2’s Port Vale faced Harrogate in April 2021.
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She was the first female referee to oversee an FA Cup third-round draw when she pitted Birmingham City against Plymouth Argyle in 2021-22.
Sian Massey-Ellis, who will be the VAR assistant for the attack, has in the past served as the fourth official, but that happened due to a replacement. Welch is the first to be appointed to the position and is also the fourth. The woman who will be named as a member of the refereeing team for a Premier League match, following assistant referees Wendy Toms, Natalie Aspinall and Massey-Ellis.
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