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The English Football League (EFL) has appointed it's very first female referee.

Rebecca Welch, who is currently the highest-ranking female referee in English football, will oversee Harrogate Town's game against Port Vale on Monday 5 April.

The 37-year-old, who has refereed men's matches in the National League and top women's games like the FA Cup final back in 2017, was chosen following an ongoing review of her performances during the current season.

In 2010, referee Amy Fearn became the first woman to take charge of an EFL game after Tony Bates sustained an injury during Coventry's match against Nottingham Forest.

However, Welch will be the first female referee to have been officially appointed for a game.

"I'm still trying to let it sink in," Welch told Sky Sports News. "I got the news on Saturday and haven't come back down to earth yet. I'm very fortunate to have been given this opportunity and I'm really excited about it.

"My dad is probably my biggest fan, so he's over the moon. My mum doesn't know a lot about football. She's excited, but I don't think she knows why! They're really proud," she said.

After deciding that she wanted to become a referee, Welch didn't think she would ever make it to the EFL.

"It's not something I thought that, when I decided to be a referee 11 years ago, I would be in the Football League doing a game. That didn't even register on my radar.

"It seems to have been a whirlwind over the past 11 years and now we're a week away from one of the biggest games of my career.

"I've always said, through all my promotions, I want to be appointed because I am in the top 10 match officials on that list. I never want to be appointed based on anything else. I've got faith in the system, and I've been rewarded."

Welch has also expressed her desire to see a female referee in the Premier League, something which she believes could happen in the near future.

"If it's not me, I've got no doubt, in the next 10 to 15 years, we will see a female referee in the Premier League," she said.