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Natalie Aspinall, 40, will become only the third woman to officiate in the top flight, more than 10 years after Sian Massey-Ellis last made the grade.

Natalie, from Marton, will act as an assistant referee in the Premier League next season after a successful year running the line in the Championship and Women’s Super League.

The mother-of-two, whose husband Richard referees in the National League North, will now take up the role full-time, which will include VAR.

Assistant referee Natalie Aspinall runs the line during a Sky Bet Championship match. Natalie, from Marton, Blackpool, will be officiating in the Premier League next season. Picture: Marc Atkins/Getty Images

She has previously officiated on the Women’s FA Cup final three times – once as a referee and twice as assistant – and represented England on the FIFA list at two women’s World Cups in Canada in 2015 and Germany in 2011, as well as Euros and Champions League matches.

The first woman to reach the Premier League as an assistant referee was Wendy Toms in the 1990s.

Natalie’s promotion followed a rigorous selection process where she had to undergo an interview, laws of the game test and a punishing track-based fitness test.

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STOKE ON TRENT, ENGLAND - JULY 31: Assistant referee Natalie Aspinall during a Pre-Season Friendly match between Stoke City and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Britannia Stadium on July 31, 2021 in Stoke on Trent, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

She initially took up the whistle after encouragement from her dad William, who was a referee for 25 years across Blackpool and the North West.

Natalie will be joined by fellow assistant referees Nick Greenhalgh and Steven Meredith in Select Group 1.

Professional Game Match Officials managing director Mike Riley said: “Natalie, Nick and Steve are experienced assistant referees and have earned their place at this level.

“Natalie, who is a fantastic ambassador for English refereeing, is the third female assistant referee in the Premier League and will work alongside her select group 1 colleague Sian Massey-Ellis.”

Assistant referee Natalie Aspinall, from Marton, Blackpool, will be officiating in the Premier League next season. Picture: Julian Finney/Getty Images

Natalie, who went to Highfield High School pupil and is mum to Emilia, eight, and four-year-old Edie, told The Gazette in 2015: “It was my dad being a referee that convinced me to go into it.

“My dad told me I could referee for an hour on a Sunday morning and earn the same as a paper round.

“Being a 14-year-old girl, I spent the money on clothes, going out with my friends and little luxuries.”

Blackpool has two other full-time match officials, Leigh Doughty and Oliver Langford, who both officiate on the Championship.

Female football referee from Blackpool makes it into the Premier League - and the history books