Rebecca Welch to Become Premier League's 1st Woman Referee for Fulham vs. Burnley

Rebecca Welch will become the first woman to officiate a Premier League match when she serves as the referee for a Dec. 23 clash between Fulham and Burnley.

The league confirmed its Matchday 18 assignments, with Welch on duty at Craven Cottage.

Three days later, meanwhile, Sam Allison will be the first Black referee for a Premier League fixture since 2008 when he's on the whistle for Sheffield United's match with Luton Town.

Welch broke new ground this past January when she was the referee for Preston North End's 2-1 victory over Birmingham City, making her the first woman in the lead role for an English Championship match.

Last month, she was the fourth official as Manchester United earned a 1-0 win over Fulham, becoming the first woman in that category as well.

Welch is well established within the women's game. In addition to working three matches at Women's Euro 2022 and the 2023 Women's World Cup, she has officiated Women's Super League contests along with the Women's FA Cup finals in 2017 and 2020.

Allison was playing the sport in a non-league capacity and working full time as a firefighter before he embarked on his officiating career.

"I don't hide that I want to reach the top," he said in a March interview with the EFL's official site. "I want to be a role model within my community and show representation as a Black man in football and being a referee at the same time. My desire has to be to reach the top just to show people that you can do it."

The EFL promoted Allison into its Select Group 2 of referees ahead of the 2023-24 season, which meant a move up to regularly working Championship matches.