About

Our Work

We are a network of professionals working in and around the football industry who support and champion their peers.
While we know there has been significant progress in women’s participation in football and great strides have been made, we know that there is still much more to do.

For an in-depth look at our recent work, download the Women in Football annual report 2022-23 (pdf, 17MB)

Celebrating women’s achievement

Women in Football champions female talent in a bid to bring about a change in attitudes to women working in the industry. Whether we are celebrating some of football’s earliest female pioneers such as Manchester City’s 1880 founding member Anna Connell, or professional football’s first female physio, Judith Lo, or nominating female employees for Queen’s Honours or industry awards, we are dedicated to celebrating the many contributions by women to our national game.

Celebrating women’s achievement

Challenging discrimination

WIF aims to improve women’s representation at all levels of the game by challenging discrimination and lobbying for change. Our regular surveys of the WIF community, most recently in 2024, highlighted that there is much work still to do in key areas such as widening the talent pool of diverse women across the game, achieving gender balance on boards and committees and instilling confidence in reporting discriminatory behaviour and abuse.

Challenging discrimination

Sharing professional expertise

Women still remain significantly under-represented in executive and board positions in the football industry. It is our mission to change this, whether through career enhancing mentoring schemes or seminars and workshops at our events. By bringing together inspirational women from across the industry at regular networking events held throughout the UK and online, we hope to chip away at some of the barriers holding women back in their careers.

Sharing professional expertise

Annie Zaidi

Development Manager Bedworth Ladies, UEFA A License Candidate 2019/2020

Janie Frampton OBE

Sports Officials Consultancy

Dame Heather Rabbatts DBE

Founder

Women’s Sports Group

Prof. Sue Bridgewater

Director of the Centre for Sports Business

Liverpool University

Anna Kessel MBE

Executive Director

Development at Sky Sports

Jacqui Oatley MBE

Football commentator and sports broadcaster

Jane Purdon

Former CEO

Women in Football

Reshmin Chowdhury

Journalist, broadcaster and sports presenter

The WIF board members are a group of professional women and men working in and around the football industry who are passionate about supporting our peers in the sector.


Yvonne Harrison

Chief Executive Officer

Women in Football

Ebru Köksal, CFA

Chair

Women in Football

Paul Barber OBE

Chief Executive and Deputy Chairman

Brighton & Hove Albion FC

Ben Carter

Chief Marketing Officer

CarWow

Monique Choudhuri

Managing Director

Versify Consulting

Liz Ellen

Director and Founder

Livida Sport

Lungi Macebo

COO

Birmingham City FC

Lisa Parfitt

Co-Founder

The Space Between

Kelly Simmons OBE

Sports Consultant

Kelly Simmons Sports Consultancy Ltd

Jo Tongue MBE

CEO

Tongue Tied Media


Lisa Pool

Senior Commercial Manager

Sarah Gordon-Jones

Events Manager

Pete Green

Communications Manager

Amy Bullock (Amy White)

Partnerships Manager

Sarah Collins

Client Services Manager

Louise Matthews

Business Support Manager

Daniel Taylor

Marketing and Communications Officer

Reported gender discrimination
 16%

of those who reported gender-based discrimination at work were not even listened to

Can women excel
 64%

of female WIF members feel football is an environment where women can excel 

Facing obstacles
 88%

 of women working in football believe they have to work harder than men to achieve the same recognition and benefits

These findings are among those from the most recent Women in Football survey, conducted in 2024. Find out more

© Women in Football 2024

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