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.
Sam Allison 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.
Welch has long been a trailblazer in men’s football, having become the first woman to be appointed to referee an EFL match in April 2021 and the first to take charge of a men’s FA Cup fixture in January 2022.
Welch was also appointed as the fourth official for Manchester United’s 1-0 win at Fulham in November – the first woman to carry out the role in the Premier League.
The 40-year-old has also previously refereed in the National League, while she regularly officiates in the WSL and appeared at the Women’s World Cup earlier this year.
Allison will make 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.
Under Howard Webb, PGMOL – the body that oversees Premier League match officials – has sought to increase diversity.
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.
The FA has also pledged to increase diversity among officials and hopes to recruit 1,000 new referees from diverse backgrounds in the next three years.