Welch Whistler

Sophie Penney’s interview with England’s highest-ranking female referee. Welch and her team of officials make over 340 decisions a game, one every 16 seconds, and WSL referees averaged 98.5 per cent accuracy that season. She describes giving up 17 years and 30 hours a week at the NHS Business Services Authority for a career break to concentrate on refereeing, and the recovery time that has brought. She recalls officiating France’s 2-0 friendly win over Spain, the inaugural women’s Manchester derby at the Etihad before 31,000, and the 2017 Women’s FA Cup final at Wembley as her favourite. Welch discusses being a woman in a traditionally male football world, the new women’s refereeing pathway, and the gap between a professional league and part-time officials earning around 120 pounds a game, a point raised by Casey Stoney and answered by Kelly Simmons. Her aim is the delayed European Championship.