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When a two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup winning coach speaks, you naturally listen. When they acknowledge the impact being made by the organisation you lead, it’s a special moment.

Jill Ellis, FIFA’s Chief Football Officer opened a special Women in Football panel discussion yesterday in sparkling form at Brentford FC’s Gtech Community Stadium, with the event serving as an ‘appetiser’ to the first semi-final of the inaugural FIFA Women’s Champions Cup. Joining her were Brentford Women FC Coach Carly Williams, 2x FIFAWWC winner and 2x Olympic gold medallist Tobin Heath and Gotham FC General Manager and Head of Soccer Operations, Yael Averbuch West.

The panel, hosted in the appropriately named Legends Room, explored the global opportunities and growth in the women’s game both on and off the pitch. Former Lioness turned broadcaster Lianne Sanderson coaxed a combination of insightful and humorous anecdotes over the course of an hour, with the capacity audience hanging on every word.

Before kicking off with a focus on global on-pitch developments, Ellis noted how emotional she had been listening to Women in Football’s CEO Yvonne Harrison’s welcome speech.

"There's been so many moments in my career during the last 35 years where I’ve been sat alone in my hotel room, thinking: 'I'm in this on my own. Who do I talk to? Where do I go? What am I doing? To see a room here that you've helped curate and learn you have a community of 12,000+ members, massive kudos to you Yvonne and to Women in Football. Because this matters."

Talking about the new FIFA tournament which will see Brazilian side Corinthians take on Arsenal in Sunday’s final, Jill said: “From now on, a young girl, wherever she is from can dream of being a world champion. The real future of the game though depends on what we build beyond the pitch together. 

“Collectively, our strategic investment is so, so critical, and cannot be siloed in its approach. For those of us here that have been on this journey for 20-plus years, and for those of you new to the ecosystem, we need to support each other. Collaboratively, we can face the headwinds that exist in women's sports and truly change the game for the current and future generations.”

 

 

Currently, only 22% of head coaches at professional women’s clubs are female. To tackle this - which she said was not due to a lack of talent or ambition, but because of limited access to opportunity and a lack of clear pathways – Jill announced the launch of a landmark legacy coaching initiative, together with The FA and Women’s Super League in. At its heart, a Scholarship Fund will provide financial support to female coaches in England pursuing the game's highest coaching qualifications, as well as world class mentoring. Combined, this in Jill’s words “is one of the most direct ways we can have a positive and immediate impact.”

Carly Williams is currently Brentford Women’s Head Coach, aiming to guide the Tier 5 side to another promotion in the English women’s pyramid. Earlier in the career, she combined motherhood – Carly has two football-mad children – with her day job as a NHS radiographer, working for Arsenal’s academy in the evenings. She then transitioned into teaching 16-year-olds science, before returning to the touchline in the evenings again.

“This is my first role where I'm fortunate enough to be coaching full time” she explained with pride. “I am absolutely blessed to have this opportunity, so I always want to give back as much as I can. On Monday night, my day off, I was on the pitch trying to inspire, female coaches to step over the sideline from diverse Muslim backgrounds. 

"I came to Brentford with an ambition to push through the leagues. Being in this room today is such an exciting place to be, and the matches in this new FIFA competition will inspire the 350+ players we have in our girl’s development centre. For me, it's that visibility, finding someone they can relate to. Today it might be a new player they watch for the first time. In future, it might be that people want to be a General Manager, work in Player Care or be a coach.

“How do we make sure we extend the environment on and off the pitch to inspire the next generation, to advance women in football and push people like me to be better every day?"

 

 

During a ten-year playing career, Yael Averbuch West won two NWSL championship titles, a Concacaf W Champions Cup victory and 26 caps for the USA. In August 2021 she was named interim General Manager and Head of Soccer Operations of Gotham FC and took the permanent position four months later. Under her leadership, Gotham FC won the 2023 NWSL championship, registered the most successful regular season in club history in 2024, secured its second league title in 2025 and captured the inaugural Concacaf W Champions Cup. So what does her role at the club exactly entail?

“It is my responsibility to bring people into our environment that can create a winning product on the field. That's everything from the roster (player) design to technical staff, the chef and massage therapist” she said.

“Until two years ago, our club had never competed internationally, and some of our players that they weren't on their national teams had never competed against international opponents. The opportunity to support those women on their journeys is already far beyond the experience I ever had in the game as a player. 

“Every single day is different, and that's one of the most fun things about it. I often think about how much the game has progressed and the opportunities now for players that are, quite honestly, beyond what I ever thought was possible.”

 

 

Tobin Heath’s playing achievement highlights include 181 caps, winning two Women’s World Cup finals and two Olympic gold medals. Her connection with Averbuch West dates back to their college years, when the two of them would dream about what women’s football could look like in the future. 

“When I look around this room, at the exponential growth in the women's game, it's extraordinary” she said with a beaming smile. “I laugh when I'm talking about the investment in the women's game as I don't think there’s anything more investible than women's football or AI right now.”

In terms of the role of women off the field, Tobin also had an unequivocal message. “Women have so much experience and value to give. We have to lean into this, so bet on us. I once heard someone say, which has become a mantra of mine, that if your dreams aren’t so big that people laugh at them, you need to reassess your dreams. 

“My ‘laughable goal’ will be to spend the rest of my life elevating women’s football, and I have ambitions that go way beyond filling stadiums; it’s about transforming culture. No-one will give us the keys. We have to believe in it and build it, by working as a team.”

 

 

The final word goes to Yael. “I’ve never told this story before, but Tobin and I had a journal at college in which we wrote that ‘our Alegria, our joy’ would be to change women’s football for ever. I believe there’s more to come and our work to change women’s football is still in the future. We haven’t got close to achieving what I believe we can.”

Women in Football would like to say a big thank you to Brentford Football Club, and in particular Alexandra Dallas, Director of Corporate Affairs and Investor Relations, for hosting such a wonderful event, to Jenny Mitton and the FIFA Women’s Football Division for being such fantastic partners, and to all our members and partners who joined us.

Inspired by our panel yesterday? Women in Football's Leadership Programme offers the opportunity to develop your potential as an individual, enhance your personal skills and learn new ones in a supportive environment. Discover more details of our upcoming programme dates and venues, including one at Brentford Football Club on 13–16 April 2026.

 

A reminder that the FIFA Women's Champions Cup builds to an electrifying finale on Sunday 1 February, with the third-place play-off and the grand final taking place at the Arsenal Stadium, you can purchase tickets here.

Imagery courtesy of FIFA.

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