When Rebecca Welch becomes the first woman to be a Premier League referee for Fulham’s match with Burnley on Saturday, it will not be the first time Craven Cottage has hosted a moment in history for women working in football.
On April 21, 2007, in another top-flight match alongside Thames against Lancashire opposition – this time in the form of Blackburn Rovers – broadcaster Jacqui Oatley made her Match of the Day commentary debut, and many people were confused.
Speaking to Telegraph Sport, Oatley says she is pleased that society has “moved on” to the extent that Welch does not have to be subjected to the media furor that engulfed her in 2007, when articles criticizing her appointment were accompanied by ‘from Motty to Totty’ headlines.
“At the time I was commentating [Radio] 5 Live and it wasn’t entirely unusual for a 5 Live commentator to be asked to do Match of the Day and so I didn’t think much of it [initially]. Then I thought, ‘Wait a minute, I hope there’s not going to be a public outcry here,’ because honestly, I could live without it,” says Oatley. ‘I hoped it would remain nice and quiet. But that was wishful thinking.
“Unfortunately it was made public in a national newspaper. Then one morning I woke up and heard my name on the radio in the middle of the hour and I thought ‘oh God’. It became a big story with arguments and a sexism debate. A former top executive and an influential newspaper journalist had said they were against it and I found that quite insulting. I felt alone.
“I was living on my own and single at the time, and I was in the eye of a storm and all I wanted to do was focus on my preparation, and instead I made the mistake of politely declining every interview. I never wanted to be the story, so I just said ‘no’ to everything. I couldn’t really sleep and didn’t really eat for a few days. My stomach was in knots. It felt like my brain was mushy peas trying to get through that day and hopefully not get criticized too much.
On the day of the match, Oatley was presented with a shirt in the tunnel before the match by Fulham, who introduced her to the sponsors, and she adds: “It was really strange to see photographers lining up and taking pictures of me to be seen making. on the portal. Even the referee that day, Graham Poll, gave me a thumbs up and wished me luck. That was very surreal.
“I definitely felt a certain sense of responsibility in the back of my mind that if people didn’t like me, they would hate all female commentators in the future and unilaterally decide that women should not be allowed to comment on football/sports. so I told myself, ‘just do your best’.
“I thought, if I can just push through this, hopefully get through vaguely unscathed and get a chance to do another one if my sleep doesn’t get wiped out, then that would be fantastic,” and luckily that’s what happened a few times . months later.”
‘This is coming, it’s not a bolt from the blue’
Welch has been a pioneer in the field of female officials for years. She became the first woman to officiate an EFL match when she took charge of Harrogate Town versus Port Vale in 2021, and subsequently the first to be in center for a third men’s FA Cup. round tie, Birmingham City v Plymouth Argyle in 2022. She has since worked at the Women’s World Cup and regularly takes charge of men’s matches in the Championship, as well as games in the Women’s Super League.
“What she is accomplishing is fantastic and it is based on merit,” Oatley said of Welch. ‘This appointment was coming. It’s not a huge bolt from the blue, because she worked her way up the system, and there’s no way Howard Webb would put her in charge if he thought she couldn’t hack it. And she has so many people supporting her.
“She’ll just focus on doing her best, just like every weekend when she’s at a game, and I hope she’ll think, ‘I do this every week.’ She certainly doesn’t need any advice from me, as she is an excellent referee and official, but control the things you can control, and just smile at the rest. You have to smile because it is an experience.
“And there’s so much controversy about the referees at the moment that if she makes a mistake, it’s not because she’s a woman, right? That’s for sure.
‘Football benefits from more female officials’
The coincidence that both historic moments took place at Craven Cottage is not lost on Oatley, who believes it will help Welch, adding: “Fulham are such a great club to be around. It’s one of my favorite places to go. It’s a good group of fans and the people behind the scenes will be great with her.
“And I think we’ve made a lot of progress in terms of attitudes in society. I don’t think she will be judged on whether or not she can referee because she has already proven that every week.
“That’s why I want to pay tribute to the work of Women In Football over all these years – they have played a huge part in making this situation the norm, rather than a front-page news story. Since 2007 we have continued as a sport.
“Football now benefits from the fact that there are more female officials. Because football needs more officials. The game as a whole is better off with this range of talent, and not just talent from half the population. We need little girls to watch Match of the Day this weekend and look at Welch and think, ‘Maybe I could do that – how do I start that journey?’
‘Women just want to be judged on our merits’
Another thing that delights Oatley is the increasing number of women commentating on football these days. That’s why she says: “Something good came out of the fact that I took that blow, if you like, and although it was very unpleasant at the time, I’m very happy if it means that other women can just get on with it . Because I wouldn’t want that [unpleasantness] on one of them. So I’m very happy when I hear a woman’s comment.
“Football as a sport has changed completely. It’s not all white men watching football at home now. Traditionally that was the image. But now that is not the case. The sport now has a very diverse audience.
“I hope we’re at the point now where listeners might not even notice that the commenter is a woman, and if they’re not your favorite that’s fine, but you don’t denigrate an entire species based on you don’t like it specific comment from a woman. Women from all walks of life just want to be judged on our merits.”