Washington's Rebecca Welch referees last 16 game in Women's World Cup

On the same day (Monday) England’s lionesses booked their place in the Women’s World Cup quarter final, Washington’s own Rebecca Welch took charge of the Australia v Denmark fixture.

The host nation overcame the Danes with a 2-0 victory with Rebecca dishing out just one yellow card during the last 16 fixture at Stadium Australia in Sydney.

Rebecca, 39, is one of three English officials selected by FIFA, with the Washington official the only representative to be taking charge of fixtures as a World Cup referee.

Natalie Aspinall has been appointed as an assistant referee whilst Sian Massey-Elliss is a video match official.

It’s another landmark occasion in a stellar career for Rebecca after she made history, becoming the first woman to take charge of a full English Football League game after refereeing the League Two fixture between Harrogate and Port Vale on Easter Monday in 2021.

To mark the groundbreaking moment, in September 2021 Rebecca was awarded an Honorary Fellowship at the University of Sunderland.

Rebecca spent much of her childhood playing football with friends on the streets of Washington, but was disappointed not to play competitively at school “as there was no girls football team”.

However after leaving school, Rebecca began playing for local women’s teams and it was during one match that she was challenged to take up a referee training programme.

It was a challenge she accepted and in 2010 Rebecca qualified as a referee and embarked on a trailblazing journey that would change the face of football forever.

Following the Lionesses success, winning last year’s Euro’s, attitudes and interest in women’s football are changing, after decades of being viewed as a male dominated sport.

However Rebecca believes being a woman has actually helped rather than hindered her career.

She said: “Being a female referee has never really been a problem. In reality, if anything, I was probably treated with a little more respect by the players because I was a female ref.”

“For me, being a female referee has never been problematical. No one has ever voiced dissension directly towards me. The feedback has all been positive and the social media trolls have kept away.”

In January 2023 Rebecca became the first woman to referee a Championship fixture when she took charge of Birmingham City v Preston North End.

However, she remains philosophical about whether she will get the chance to take charge of a Premier League fixture.

She said: “Would I like to one day referee a Premier League game? If it happens, it happens.”

With the World Cup now moving into the last eight, Rebecca will be eagerly awaiting to see which games she will be selected for, including potentially refereeing the World Cup Final - although she would be prohibited from doing so if the lionesses make it through.

In 2017 Rebecca also refereed the Women’s FA Cup Final.