Washington's trailblazing referee Rebecca Welch to be inducted into the National Football Museum’s Hall of Fame

Washington's Rebecca Welch - the first woman to take charge of a Premier League game - said she is "overwhelmed" after being invited to be inducted into the National Football Museum’s Hall of Fame.

The 40-year-old made history when she was selected to take charge of the Fulham v Burnley game on December 23.

She was also the referee for the Bournemouth v Nottingham Forest fixture in February.

After receiving the invite, Rebecca said: "It’s quite overwhelming and I was very honoured to be asked.

“My journey started 13 years ago and now here I am having refereed in one of the biggest leagues in the world, being inducted to the Hall of Fame alongside legends of the game. It doesn’t feel real to me.

“It’s great for young boys and young girls to see female representation at the top of the game because it makes them believe that they can be there as well.”

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 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.

Rebecca was the first woman to be appointed to referee an EFL match in 2021, when she took charge of the fixture between Harrogate and Port Vale in League Two, and in January 2023 she also became the first female to take charge of a Championship fixture in the match between Birmingham City and Preston North End.

Rebecca was also the only English female to referee at the Women's World Cup in 2023.

Following her ground-breaking exploits, in 2021 Rebecca was awarded an honorary fellowship by the University of Sunderland.