As Rebecca Welch reflects on her groundbreaking career as a referee, she is ready to set the record straight.
Welch became the first woman to officiate a Premier League match when she refereed Fulham’s match against Burnley last season. It was not the first time he had made history, having done so when he refereed a League Two match in 2021 and a Championship match early last year.
Given the abuse referees are often subjected to and the struggles women face within the game, it would be easy to assume that Welch’s experiences in the men’s game were fraught with hardship.
But Welch, who was inducted into the National Football Museum Hall of Fame on Tuesday, painted a much different picture.
“I’m always asked if I was treated differently than male referees in men’s football and I say ‘yes, but it worked in my favour.’
Rebecca Welch has shared that she was “treated differently” than male referees in men’s football.
Welch made history by becoming the first woman to referee a Premier League match when she refereed Fulham’s match against Burnley last season.
The now retired 40-year-old player has been included in the Hall of Fame of the National Football Museum
“Especially in men’s football, I don’t think they (the players) go that far. I’ve been a fourth official in men’s football, where the players come and go (to the referee) and, with me, I never found that.
‘I don’t know if it’s because I’m 5ft 4in, I’m quite small. There are a lot of things that probably wouldn’t work in my favor, but if being a woman in men’s football works in my favor then I’ll do it every day of the week.
“People tend to think that being a woman in men’s football means that negative things will automatically be said about you and I never found that out.” People didn’t agree with me because I was a referee, but they didn’t disagree with us because I was a female referee.
‘They just didn’t agree with my decision, which is part and parcel of our job. But from a respect standpoint, I had a great time on the male track. If not, I wouldn’t have stayed there, I would have gotten out of this. I loved taking part in it and it was a really good experience for me.’
In a week where referees have been in the spotlight, Welch appreciates that the rise of social media means the current landscape for referees means greater scrutiny.
“Part of football comes with scrutiny, it’s not just about the referees, but also about the coaches, about the players.” People will always have an opinion on what players do, what a coach does and also what a referee does.
‘We are aware of this when we take the whistle and collect the cards. We are involved in an elite sport, so we should expect that bit of scrutiny that comes our way. We just have to have a strong mentality and be able to deal with it. We have support mechanisms that do that as well.”
Welch retired from refereeing in the summer to take on a leadership role with the PGMOL, where she will help mentor future female referees.
Welch has admitted that being a woman saved her from too much abuse from male players.
In the week that David Coote (pictured) was suspended by the PGMOL after a foul-mouthed rant about Jurgen Klopp was leaked, Welch had said social media increases scrutiny.
When the 40-year-old made history by officiating men’s soccer matches, she faced increased attention and scrutiny because she was the first woman to take that step.
Welch is hopeful that her experiences will mean future female referees can follow the same path without the fanfare she had to endure.
‘That’s what legacy is about, we want to try to make it the norm for people coming, which is how it should be.
“I always say that in two years I don’t want anyone to talk about me, I want me to be part of history and we have other female referees who are part of the future and will build their own legacy.” and help other referees overcome it.
“Last year Kirsty Dowle refereed a football league match and it was quite ironic because there wasn’t a lot of media attention. For me, I thought ‘this is brilliant.’
‘The fact that there is no attention around it means we are going in the right direction. I think that was probably better for Kirsty too because she could probably concentrate on the game.
“When I say I want people to forget about Rebecca Welch, if we get to that space and it just becomes the norm, then to me that’s my job done.”