‘I used to hate that word trailblazer’: Premier League’s first female referee reflects on 14-year career as she moves to managing officials
In the National Football Museum, Rebecca Welch is reflecting on her own place in the sport’s history.
“I used to hate that word trailblazer,” the Premier League’s first female referee told Sky News.
“I probably grew more comfortable with it over the years because it’s not really about me, it’s about how that influences the young girls, young boys, to think – there’s an opportunity to be involved in football.
“So if they see me in the Premier League and that makes them think about taking up the whistle and being a referee, then that’s really my job done.”
Rebecca Welch speaking to Sky News’ Rob Harris
Rebecca Welch walking out to start a Premier League game between Fulham and Burnley
And her job is done – on the pitch, at least.
Welch is speaking for the first time in a TV interview about her milestone match last December in the men’s top flight – refereeing Fulham’s match against Burnley – and her decision to retire at the peak of her game to take a job managing professional women’s referees.
Hers is not a career where sexism has inhibited her rise from NHS administrator to the Women’s Super League, the World Cup, the Olympics, and the Premier League.
But in the week anti-discrimination campaigners Kick It Out revealed half of women surveyed have witnessed or experienced sexist language at football, there is an incident Welch wants to talk about for the first time.
Welch wants to make clear she never heard the misogynistic chants, the stadium was far too loud at Birmingham City.
But police arrested two fans during the Championship match against Sheffield Wednesday last November, two years after she became the first woman to referee in the men’s English Football League (EFL).
“I did have the opportunity to ask the police what was said, but I didn’t want to ask because to me, it’s kind of irrelevant… the words,” Welch said.
“If the meaning behind it was misogynistic, then we shouldn’t be saying it.”
Welch believes in educating people so that behaviours can improve
Faced with prosecuting them or working to attempt to change the offenders’ mindsets, Welch favoured educating them with West Midlands Police and Kick It Out.
She offered to go to the education session but was out of the country doing what she did best – whistle in hand.
Catherine Clinton, who specialises in sexism in the Football Policing Unit, told Sky News that the education session had a positive effect, with the offenders realising how they may have impacted someone’s life.
“So the education was good for that and positively driving the social change in behaviour,” she said.
And that is why Welch was satisfied with the outcome.
“I think people should be given second chances, give them some education, and then if they do it again, I think then that’s probably a different story,” Welch said.
“We need to sometimes educate people so that behaviours can improve and that won’t happen again.”
The 40-year-old knows criticism is part of the game, but there is a difference when it oversteps the mark and descends into hatred.
And contrary to some perceptions from managers, players and fans, making a mistake will happen and does weigh on the mind.
You don’t quickly move on.
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“I think what people probably don’t see and should understand is there’s also an emotional attachment from the referee,” she said. “I’ve gone out and given decisions and reflected on them, even later on in the game.
“We do go out and try and give honest decisions based on what we can see and what view we’ve got.
“Sometimes they come back and they can be incorrect. A couple of them I’ve looked back and I’ve held my hands up and said to the managers or the players I was incorrect.”
There cannot be perfection in refereeing, even with VAR. Especially with VAR, creating unrealistic expectations of perfection.
VAR is yet to enter the Women’s Super League.
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“It’s the hardest job in football, but it’s probably why we love it,” Welch said. “We’re just trying to do an honest day’s work. That’s all we’re trying to do. And sometimes we do get things wrong.
“And I think every referee accepts that because we’re not superhuman. I think there just needs to be a little bit more understanding. Players get things wrong, coaches do. Sometimes referees do.
“We learn from that. We’ll get better and hopefully will not make the same mistake twice.”
Now it is for Welch to guide the next generation of referees, knowing her own place in history is secure.
And what about a woman coaching in the EFL or Premier League now those men’s competitions have had matches refereed by Welch, showing the best person has earned the opportunity and thrived?
“I think it’ll be a big milestone and, once one does it, then you see that happen and then other people will start doing it,” Welch said.
“I wouldn’t like to lose them (from the women’s game), but that’s a personal choice of a coach. In my opinion, the Women’s Super League is the biggest, if not the best, in the world. So why would you not want to coach in that league?”
Now for Welch, it is overseeing referees in that league, watching the growth from a wider vantage point, and reflecting with pride on a 14-year career.
“I look back on that and smile and think, I went there, I gave it a go,” she said.
“I’ve really excelled in it. I made the elite level and I can retire really, really happy.”
The dates for Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK have been announced, with the US president due to be welcomed by the King from 17 to 19 September.
Buckingham Palace also confirmed that President Trump and first lady Melania will be hosted by the King and Queen at Windsor Castle.
It was expected that the three-day state visit would take place in September after Mr Trump let slip earlier in April that he believed that was when his second “fest” was being planned for.
Windsor was also anticipated to be the location after the US president told reporters in the Oval Office that the letter from the King said Windsor would be the setting. Refurbishment works at Buckingham Palace also meant that Windsor was used last week for French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit.
This will be Mr Trump’s second state visit to the UK, an unprecedented gesture towards an American leader, having previously been invited to Buckingham Palace in 2019.
Donald Trump and Melania Trump posing with Charles and Camilla in 2019. Pic: Reuters
He has also been to Windsor Castle before, in 2018, but despite the considerable military pageantry of the day, and some confusion around inspecting the guard, it was simply for tea with Queen Elizabeth II.
Further details of what will happen during the three-day visit in September will be announced in due course.
On Friday, Sky News revealed it is now unlikely that the US president will address parliament, usually an honour given to visiting heads of state as part of their visit. Some MPs had raised significant concerns about him being given the privilege.
But the House of Commons will not be sitting at the time of Mr Trump’s visit as it will rise for party conference season on the 16 September, meaning the president will not be able to speak in parliament as President Macron did during his state visit this week. However, the House of Lords will be sitting.
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Labour MP: ‘Trump isn’t welcome here’
In February this year, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer presented the US president with the letter from the King inviting him to visit during a meeting at the White House.
After reading it, Mr Trump said it was a “great, great honour”, adding “and that says at Windsor – that’s really something”.
In February, Sir Keir Starmer revealed a letter from the King inviting Donald Trump to the UK. Pic: Reuters
In the letter, the King suggested they might meet at Balmoral or Dumfries House in Scotland first before the much grander state visit. However, it is understood that, although all options were explored, complexities in both the King and Mr Trump’s diaries meant it wasn’t possible.
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This week, it emerged that Police Scotland are planning for a summer visit from the US president, which is likely to see him visit one or both of his golf clubs in Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire, and require substantial policing resources and probably units to be called in from elsewhere in the UK.
Precedent for second-term US presidents, who have already made a state visit, is usually tea or lunch with the monarch at Windsor Castle, as was the case for George W Bush and Barack Obama.
A small plane has crashed at Southend Airport in Essex.
Essex Police said it was at the scene of a “serious incident”.
Images posted online showed huge flames and a large cloud of black smoke, with one witness saying they saw a “fireball”.
A police statement said: “We were alerted shortly before 4pm to reports of a collision involving one 12-metre plane.
“We are working with all emergency services at the scene now and that work will be ongoing for several hours.
“We would please ask the public to avoid this area where possible while this work continues.”
A huge fireball near the airport. Pic: Ben G
It has been reported that the plane involved in the incident is a Beech B200 Super King Air.
According to flight-tracking service Flightradar, it took off at 3.48pm and was bound for Lelystad, a city in the Netherlands.
One man, who was at Southend Airport with his family around the time of the incident, said the aircraft “crashed headfirst into the ground”.
John Johnson said: “About three or four seconds after taking off, it started to bank heavily to its left, and then within a few seconds of that happening, it more or less inverted and crashed.
“There was a big fireball. Obviously, everybody was in shock in terms of witnessing it. All the kids saw it and the families saw it.”
Mr Johnson added that he phoned 999 to report the crash.
Southend Airport said the incident involved “a general aviation aircraft”.
Four flights scheduled to take off from Southend this afternoon were cancelled, according to its website.
Flightradar data shows two planes that had been due to land at Southend were diverted to nearby airports London Gatwick and London Stansted.
Plumes of black smoke. Pic: UKNIP
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said four crews, along with off-road vehicles, have attended the scene.
Four ambulances and four hazardous area response team vehicles are also at the airport, as well as an air ambulance, the East of England Ambulance Service said.
Its statement described the incident as “still developing”.
Fire engines at the airport
David Burton-Sampson, the MP for Southend West and Leigh, posted on social media: “I am aware of an incident at Southend Airport. Please keep away and allow the emergency services to do their work.
“My thoughts are with everyone involved.”
Local councillor Matt Dent said on X: “At present all I know is that a small plane has crashed at the airport. My thoughts are with all those involved, and with the emergency services currently responding to the incident.”
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UK
Heidi Alexander says ‘fairness’ will be government’s ‘guiding principle’ when it comes to taxes at next budget
Another hint that tax rises are coming in this autumn’s budget has been given by a senior minister.
Speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander was asked if Sir Keir Starmer and the rest of the cabinet had discussed hiking taxes in the wake of the government’s failed welfare reforms, which were shot down by their own MPs.
Trevor Phillips asked specifically if tax rises were discussed among the cabinet last week – including on an away day on Friday.
Politics Hub: Catch up on the latest
Tax increases were not discussed “directly”, Ms Alexander said, but ministers were “cognisant” of the challenges facing them.
Asked what this means, Ms Alexander added: “I think your viewers would be surprised if we didn’t recognise that at the budget, the chancellor will need to look at the OBR forecast that is given to her and will make decisions in line with the fiscal rules that she has set out.
“We made a commitment in our manifesto not to be putting up taxes on people on modest incomes, working people. We have stuck to that.”
Ms Alexander said she wouldn’t comment directly on taxes and the budget at this point, adding: “So, the chancellor will set her budget. I’m not going to sit in a TV studio today and speculate on what the contents of that budget might be.
“When it comes to taxation, fairness is going to be our guiding principle.”
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Afterwards, shadow home secretary Chris Philp told Phillips: “That sounds to me like a barely disguised reference to tax rises coming in the autumn.”
He then went on to repeat the Conservative attack lines that Labour are “crashing the economy”.
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Chris Philp also criticsed the government’s migration deal with France
Mr Philp then attacked the prime minister as “weak” for being unable to get his welfare reforms through the Commons.
Discussions about potential tax rises have come to the fore after the government had to gut its welfare reforms.
Sir Keir had wanted to change Personal Independence Payments (PIP), but a large Labour rebellion forced him to axe the changes.
With the savings from these proposed changes – around £5bn – already worked into the government’s sums, they will now need to find the money somewhere else.
The general belief is that this will take the form of tax rises, rather than spending cuts, with more money needed for military spending commitments, as well as other areas of priority for the government, such as the NHS.
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