In a historic move for the Premier League, Sam Allison will break barriers as the first Black official to referee a game since Uriah Rennie in 2008.
He will take charge of the Sheffield United vs Luton match on Boxing Day. Allison’s promotion to the Premier League comes after several seasons in the EFL, and he earned his place in the Championship at the beginning of the 2023/24 season.
Rebecca Welch is also poised to make history as the first woman to officiate a Premier League match.
The groundbreaking appointment will see her take charge of the Fulham vs Burnley clash on Saturday, December 23. This marks another significant milestone for Welch, who previously made history as the first woman to referee an EFL match in April 2021 and officiated a men’s FA Cup fixture in January 2022.
In a further demonstration of her capabilities, she served as the fourth official in Manchester United’s 1-0 victory at Fulham in November, becoming the first woman to fulfil that role in the Premier League.
The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), overseen by Howard Webb, has been actively working towards increasing diversity among Premier League match officials.
This initiative has seen Bhupinder Singh Gill become the first Sikh-Punjabi referee in the Premier League, appointed as an assistant referee in January.
Webb said, “I’m excited to see the appointment of Rebecca Welch to her first Premier League referee’s appointment and, on Boxing Day, we’ll see Sam Allison taking charge of his first game.
“They’re both part of the PGMOL’s development group. It’s an initiative tied into the elite referee development plan, which has been in place for a couple of years now to fast track talented officials to the pathway.
“We’ve not seen a female take charge of a Premier League game ever before so it is significant. Then Sam being the first Black official since Uriah Rennie – an ex-colleague of mine – [which is] down to the quality of his performances in recent weeks in the Football League and the Championship. Both appointments are well deserved.
“But of course, it also shows them as role models. It demonstrates that people can make it through the pathway.”
The Football Association (FA) has also committed to enhancing diversity among officials, with a target to recruit 1,000 referees from diverse backgrounds within the next three years.
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