3 things you must know as Rebecca Welch and Sam Allison make Premier League history

Rebecca Welch (left) and Sam Allison (right). (Photo Credit: Imago)

FOOTBALL 3 things you must know as Rebecca Welch and Sam Allison make Premier League history

3 things you must know as Rebecca Welch and Sam Allison make Premier League history

Izuchukwu Akawor • 17:08 - 16.12.2023

A look at a landmark weekend for diversity and inclusion in the Premier League as referees Rebecca Welch and Sam Allison make history.

The popular English Premier League will witness a memorable moment as two referees Rebecca Welch and Sam Allison make history. 

Welch will become the first woman to officiate in the men’s league while Allison becomes the first black official in 15 years in a few days.

Here are three things you need to know about the Premier League milestones. 

Rebecca Welch’s history

Next weekend, Welch will etch her name in Premier League history when she steps in to officiate the match between Burnley and Fulham. 

Rebecca Welch will officiate the game between Burnley and Fulham.
Rebecca Welch will officiate the game between Burnley and Fulham. (Photo Credit: Imago)

Welch’s journey has been one of the breakthroughs, starting with her role as the first woman to officiate a men’s fixture in the Championship back in January, per OneFootball.

In terms of achievements, the 40-year-old has a loaded history of breaking gender barriers. She was the first woman to officiate in the EFL in 2021, having also handled matches in the FIFAWWC and FA Cup finals.

var widgetLoaderConfig = widgetLoaderConfig || { CDN_URL: 'https://widgets.sportal365.com', APP_LINK: 'desktop', API_URL: 'https://africa.football.api.sportal365.com/', API_KEY: '2f852b4de2f3a5cf3188e74b33087bb4:2c18422f8e826a7d11aeed52edb2449e', LANG: 'en', REQUEST_INTERVAL: 30, ENABLE_BET_SLIP: false, AUTHOR: false, THEME: "light", TOURNAMENT_ORDER: "pulse_nigeria", LINK_OPTIONS_V2: { 'player' : { 'url': '/football/player/{playerId}' }, 'team' : { 'url': '/football/{teamId}' }, 'tournament': { 'url': '/football/competition/{tournamentId}' }, 'match': { 'url' : '/football/match/{matchId}', 'sort': { 'criteria': 'alphabetically', 'direction': 'asc' } }, 'configuration': { 'newWindow': false }, 'standings_tournament': { 'url': '/football/competition/{tournamentId}/standings' } } }; if (!document.querySelector('script[src="https://widgets.sportal365.com/loader.bundle.min.js"]')) { window.setTimeout(function () { let scriptCss = document.createElement('link'); scriptCss.href = 'https://www.pulsesports.ug/css/sport-widgets.css?v=1668785443'; scriptCss.rel = 'stylesheet'; scriptCss.type = 'text/css'; document.body.appendChild(scriptCss); let scriptTag = document.createElement('script'); scriptTag.src = 'https://widgets.sportal365.com/loader.bundle.min.js'; scriptTag.defer = true; scriptTag.onload = function () { window.setTimeout(function () { new SMPWidgetsLoader(widgetLoaderConfig); }, 200); }; document.head.appendChild(scriptTag); }, 0); } else { new SMPWidgetsLoader(widgetLoaderConfig); }

Welch is also the first female fourth official in the Premier League during the game between Manchester United and Fulham back in November.

Sam Allison’s pioneering role

A few days after Welch’s record-breaking debut, Sam Allison will join her as he becomes the first black referee in the Premier League in 15 years. 

Sam Allison will become the first black referee. (Photo Credit: Imago)

This moment will mark a significant step towards inclusion and representation in the refereeing association.

Diversity in the Premier League

The decision to appoint Welch and Allison spotlights the plans and efforts of the refereeing body, PGMOL, to promote diversity in England. 

Football is evolving and these moves show a positive and paradigm shift in breaking traditional barriers. 

With these milestones in mind, the overall push by the league for more inclusion and diversity is a promising direction for the future of the popular league in the world.

Welch and Allison will surely open the ways for more officials of the same ilk to get their chance.

Related content

Tags:
Burnley Fulham Premier League