(CNN) Rebecca Welch made history on Monday as she became the first appointed female referee to take charge of an English Football League (EFL) game. The 37-year-old, who has previously refereed high-profile women's matches, oversaw Port Vale's 2-0 win against Harrogate Town in the third tier of men's English football. Back in 2010, Amy Fearn became the first woman to referee an EFL game after replacing the injured referee in the closing stages of a match, but Welch is the first to be officially appointed to a match"Initially I wasn't really aware of being appointed as the first female referee," Welch said before taking charge of the match. "I was just given the appointment and I was over the moon but when you kind of reflect on it you think you're the first woman ever to do this, so I'm extremely proud and my family's extremely proud as well."

Source: CNN April 06, 2021 12:22 UTC