Football first
Rebecca Welch became the first female referee to officiate an English men’s professional league game yesterday, and the managers of the teams involved were full of praise for her performance. The 37-year-old Welch took charge of Port Vale’s 2-0 win over Harrogate in the fourth tier. She is on Fifa’s international list and has twice been ref for the Women’s FA Cup final, in 2017 and 2020.