Fans hail Rebecca Welch as Premier League’s first-ever female referee gets off to bright start during Fulham vs Burnley

FANS have hailed Rebecca Welch as she becomes the Premier League’s first-ever referee.

Welch, 40, took charge of the match that saw Fulham host Burnley at Craven Cottage.

EPA

Rebecca Welch became the first-ever female Premier League referee[/caption]

EPA

She was in charge of Fulham vs Burnley[/caption]

AFP

She booked Calvin Bassey[/caption]

The fixture means a lot to the two involved clubs as the Clarets are battling against relegation while the Cottagers are trying to cement themselves in the top half.

As she came out to warm up before the match and do their pre-match checks.

It was clear that fans were warming to the referee as they applauded her from the stands.

The official has had an untraditional rise to the Premier League.

She worked as an administrator for the NHS before taking charge of her first-ever League Two fixture between Harrogate Town and Port Vale in 2019.

Fans were quick to praise Welch for not dominating the match too much as she let the clash flow as they flocked to social media.

One posted: “Rebecca Welch letting a lot go in the early stages, which suits me just fine.”

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A second commented: “What a brilliant moment of history.”

A third wrote: “Woman power.”

A fourth said: “Smattering of applause with whistles of support as Rebecca Welch comes out to warm up with her assistants.”

She laid down the marker for the players as she showed Calvin Bassey the yellow card for catching Josh Brownhill with a stray arm

Welch had originally not wanted to be a referee but picked up the occupation after taking a course to learn more about the rules and laws of football.

She also admitted that players would “chew her ear off” when she first started officiating.

She is not the only person to make history before the end of the year.

On boxing day, Sam Allison will assume control over Sheffield United and Luton Town and become the first black official since Uriah Rennie 15 years ago.

PGMOL head of referees Howard Webb told Sky Sports: “They are both part of the PGMOL development group which fast-tracks talented officials through the pathway.

“We have already seen three officials from the group take charge of their first Premier League games and now we have number four and five and it shows the value of that work.

“We have not seen a female take charge of a Premier League game before so it’s significant, and Sam being the first black official with a whistle in the Premier League since Uriah Rennie.

“It demonstrates people can make it through the pathway from groups that are not traditionally well represented.”