Referee Rebecca Welch joked that she may not be the favorite person of the other Women’s Super League participants due to their interactions on the pitch.
Welch was inducted along with former players Steph HoughtonAlex Scott and Gilly Flaherty. WSL The Hall of Fame is the highest honor in the English women’s top flight.
Welch, who broke records during her groundbreaking judicial career, was the first judge to be appointed.
Rebecca Welch: ‘As a judge you don’t think about legacy’
Welch retired from refereeing in 2024 and is currently the manager of the Select Group Women’s Professional Game team at PGMOL. Throughout her career, she paved the way for women judges.
She became an official in 2010 and has refereed in the WSL since its first season in 2011. Welch was also responsible for the Women’s FA Cup finals and the Women’s Champions League finals.
She also became the first woman appointed to referee a men’s EFL match, the first woman to referee a men’s FA Cup third round match and the first woman to referee a Premier League match.
Welch said of her reaction to the appointment: ” [I was] I was shocked because I never thought a referee would be inducted into the league’s Hall of Fame.
“Then you find out who they’re bringing you in next to, you say, ‘OK, that’s interesting, I’ll be on stage with three people who potentially think I’m not their favorite person.’
“It shows how far the league has come, I have been involved since the very beginning.”
Welch added that she hasn’t thought about a legacy as a judge because “it’s always just about making the right decisions and going home so no one talks about us,” but there are a few moments in her career that stand out .
“I always say the 2017 Women’s FA Cup final was played at Wembley,” she said.
“Coming out to Wembley as a referee, it was my first time as a fourth referee, but you can’t beat that feeling of going out as a referee [at Wembley]. Also the Women’s Champions League final in Bilbao.”
Refereeing in the WSL has been a topic of discussion over the past few seasons, with most referees working part-time.
Welch said on the development of referees: “I think we’ve come really far from where I started, the league is a lot more professional and the approach to match officials is a lot more professional.
“I have been fortunate to have been a part of this journey and now I get to be a part of it off the pitch, leading the next generation through it.
“In everything that has to do with leagues and referees, referees are always a little bit behind just because it happens that the league comes first. As referees, we want to be more professional, and the ones I supervise are professional in everything they do.”
