The Premier League is set to appoint its first female referee in history this month as English Football League official Rebecca Welch will take charge in the top flight for the very first time.
Rebecca Welch has been refereeing in the EFL since 2021, having first officiated a League Two match between Harrogate Town and Port Vale before working her way up the football pyramid.
Now, as per an announcement by the Premier League, the 40-year-old will be overseeing Fulham vs Burnley on Saturday, December 23, becoming the first woman to ever be appointed as the first official for a first-division game.
Welch also became the first female to referee an FA Cup fixture back in January 2022 and was the first woman to serve as a fourth official Welch was also appointed as the fourth official for Manchester United's 1-0 win over Fulham this past November.
Regularly operating in the WSL and having been part of the officiating team for the 2023 Women's World Cup, Welch has been growing a reputation across the beautiful game and it seems as though it was only a matter of time before she was assigned to a Premier League round.
Refereeing colleague Sam Allison is also set to become the first Black official to take charge of a Prem game in over a decade and a half on Boxing Day when Sheffield United take on Luton Town, the last being Uriah Rennie in a game between Liverpool and Spurs back in May 2008.
The lack of diversity, both in gender and race, in refereeing seen throughout English football has remained a pressing issue among many fans and advocates within the sport for years and now this latest announcement comes as a welcome step in the right direction.
Speaking on the decision this Thursday, refereeing veteran and PGMOL chief Howard Webb said the league has been attempting to "fast-tracking talented officials" through their training programme and labelled both of the appointments as "really well deserved".
Unfortunately, with the way latent prejudices still reside in the modern game, Welch has never had it easy on her journey to this historic appointment, as it was only last month that two young male fans were arrested for 'misogynistic chanting' during Birmingham home match against Sheffield Wednesday.
While sexism and misogyny in sport and life, in general, are obviously outdated attitudes, it was concerning to see that the two individuals were just 17 years old and that there's still work to be done in educating people and rooting out those underlying issues.
Nevertheless, having qualified and well-respected officials like Welch and Allison become prominent figures, role models and leading examples in football will do wonders for the future of representation equality throughout the sporting world.
Seven in 10 NHS workers believe the health service is 'poorly prepared' for another pandemic if one should arise, a new survey has revealed.
After the recent meningitis B outbreak in Kent last month raised the conversation of mass contagion once again, of course following the COVID-19 pandemic, a new YouGov survey of more than 1,000 NHS workers has now uncovered how well prepared staff in the health service think it is for another global pandemic.
The results show that 69% of staff surveyed think the health service is 'poorly prepared' for another pandemic, and to make matters worse, 26% of those even say it's 'very poorly' prepared.
Only one in five (22%) think the NHS is could properly handle another pandemic, but statistically, YouGov claims none of those surveyed said it's 'very well' prepared.
When workers were asked how the NHS's level of preparedness now compares to prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 41% did concede that they think it is better prepared now than 2020, however 37% admitted they think it's no better prepared.
Seven in 10 NHS workers think the health service is 'poorly prepared' for another pandemic / Credit: Pxhere | Rawpixel
16% actively think it's less well-prepared now than it was prior to 2020.
This marked a new era of 'transparency' and 'accountability' in the NHS, with the league tables delivering on the Government’s promise to drive up standards, tackle variation in care, and ensure people get the high-quality service they rightly expect.
Every trust in England - from urgent and emergency care, through to elective operations and mental health services - will now be ranked quarterly against 'clear and consistent' standards.
Featured Image - Stephen Andrews (via Unsplash)
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Kesha pulls out of Roundhay Festival as all-new Pitbull line-up revealed
Thomas Melia
American pop singer Kesha has dropped out of the Pitbull-fronted Roundhay Festival line-up, with a major shake-up announced today.
The second instalment of artists for Pitbull's headline Roundhay Festival show has been announced and it's missing highly-anticipated and originally-announced artist Kesha.
Festival organisers have said that the star will no longer be able to perform due to 'unforeseen scheduling conflicts'.
The American singer's musical adventure has taken a 'Joyride' since becoming independent in September 2024 and releasing her sixth studio album "." or Period almost a year ago.
Now, Kesha's title as 'Special Guest' has now been handed over to three very impressive artists who also shared a role in soundtracking some of the 2010s biggest hits.
Kesha was originally listed as a 'Special Guest' for Pitbull's Roundhay Festival gig in Leeds this July / Credit: Brendan Walters / Press Shots
One of these new artists is Jason Derulo, who is ready to treat the crowd to his array of chart-topping melodies like: 'Whatcha Say', 'Talk Dirty to Me', 'Trumpets'.
Another act who knows a thing or two about travelling the globe like Mr. Worldwide is 'Miami 2 Ibiza' hitmaker Tinie Tempah - things are definitely about to get 'Frisky'.
The final artist joining this already impressive list of names is Lil Jon who's bringing his high energy tracks to Roundhay Park such as 'Turn Down For What', 'Shots' and 'Get Low'.
Jason Derulo is just one of the artists making up the all-new Pitbull Roundhay Festival line-up / Credit: Wikimedia Commons (via Supplied)
Kesha's departure from this Leeds gig comes as a complete shock as the star is still set to play a whole host of UK festival dates including a BST Hyde Park show in London on 10 July.
In a statement shared via social media, Roundhay Festival has stated the reason for this very big change to the line-up:
"Due to unforeseen scheduling conflicts, Kesha will no longer be joining us this July. We hope to welcome her to Roundhay Park in the future."
Although fans who have already bought tickets to the show might still be 'Praying' for Kesha's return to the Roundhay Festival bill, it's safe to say these artists are a great addition.
Pitbull is coming to Roundhay Park in Leeds on Friday 3 July 2026 and so far he's bringing along Jason Derulo, Tinie Tempah and Lil Jon with more acts to follow - Tickets HERE.
Danny Jones -
14th December 2023 
