Rebecca Welch said she never would have thought she would be the referee for an EFL game when she started out refereeing 11 years ago
Rebecca Welch has become the first ever female referee to be appointed to officiate a game within the English Football League, it has now been announced.
Welch, who is 37 years old, will be presiding over the League Two clash between the teams Harrogate Town and Port Vale that took place on Monday.
She told Sky Sports News: “I’m still trying to let it sink in. I got the news on Saturday and haven’t come back down to earth yet. I’m very fortunate to have been given this opportunity and I’m really excited about it.”
This comes after Boris Johnson has joined over 20 other world leaders in calling for a new global settlement to help the world to prepare for future pandemics. In a newspaper article the leaders, including the German chancellor and French president, said COVID posed the biggest challenge since World War Two.
In 2010 referee Amy Fearn became the first ever woman to referee part of a men’s EFL game, after she came on as a second-half replacement during a Championship clash between the Coventry and Nottingham Forest football teams.
But Welch is to become the first woman to be the referee for an entire match.
She has refereed within the National League for the past three years and has also presided over the Women’s FA Cup final that took place at Wembley stadium.
Recently she has been promoted to UEFA’s elite category of officials.
“It’s not something I thought that, when I decided to be a referee 11 years ago, I would be in the Football League doing a game. That didn’t even register on my radar,” Welch said.
“It seems to have been a whirlwind over the past 11 years and now we’re a week away from one of the biggest games of my career.
This comes after people are now permitted to be meeting in groups of up to six people, or as two households, and outdoor team sports are also allowed to restart in a major easing of the lockdown restrictions in England.
“I’ve always said, through all my promotions, I want to be appointed because I am in the top 10 match officials on that list. I never want to be appointed based on anything else. I’ve got faith in the system, and I’ve been rewarded.”
Monday’s game at the CNG Stadium in Harrogate will take place without fans due to coronavirus restrictions.
According to the government’s road map out of lockdown, up to 10,000 fans could attend outdoor sports matches from the 17th of May.
