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The burgeoning partnership between European Football Clubs (EFC) and Women in Football (WIF) bore more fruit this week, with leaders from across women’s football gathering at a Club Connect event, before participating in a webinar.

Club Connect is EFC’s flagship series of football-first conferences designed to help clubs learn, share, and grow together. Each event tackles a major theme in the game - from the future of men’s and women’s football to commercial growth, player development, people, culture, and sustainability. Instead of long presentations, the programme is built around open discussion, hands-on workshops, and real-world case studies from clubs across Europe.

More than 130 delegates from hundreds of clubs gathered in Lisbon, Portugal to hear from some of the most influential voices in European club football. WIF was well represented, with Chair, Ebru Köksal and board member Kelly Simmons among the panellists and one of WIF’s founders, Jacqui Oatley, hosting and moderating the discussions.

Topics included both the on, and off pitch development of women’s club football, the positive growth of European club competitions, the levelling up of investment and the subject of competitive balance.

Reflecting on the event, Ebru said: "I was delighted to host a networking session which enabled participants to put ideas into practice and translate insight into action through structured, purposeful connections. Sharing practical tools and seeing them applied in real time reinforced how critical relationship-building is. Nurturing strong networks has been instrumental in opening doors throughout my three-decade career - and remains so today.

"What stood out most was the collective ambition and generosity in the room, with women and allies actively supporting one another’s growth. Moments like this highlight that strengthening networks is essential to building more inclusive, professional pathways for women across all areas of football, both on and off the pitch."

 

On Friday 17 April, the second webinar in the Leadership Series developed by EFC in partnership with WIF took place titled: No Scripts, Just Leadership: Authentic Presence on and off the Pitch.

Co-opened by EFC’s Head of Sustainability Gaia Pretner alongside, Ebru, the participants also heard from Executive Coach, Trainer and Mentor Nisha Vyas (one of WIF’s Leadership Programme tutors), followed by an interview with UEFA Vice President and FIFA Council Member Laura McAllister, conducted by Faye Carruthers.

In her session, Nisha asked the delegates to reflect on their own leadership styles and the environments they operate in, considering how they show up, how much they show up as themselves, and the importance of trust and self development.

Among the key takeaways from Faye’s interview with Laura, were how much her sense of purpose and desire to improve and change the game drives her; how she has used losses or disappointments to fuel her next moves; the importance of intentionally building networks; and a reminder that influencing governance change is a marathon, not a sprint, requiring patience and choosing carefully where to use one’s voice.

With almost 50% of the audience male, Laura called on women to be more confident in their ability and talent, to recognise the cognitive diversity they bring to teams, whilst inviting men to think more about how they can do more to bring women into conversations and develop their networks, rather than inadvertently exclude them.

 

Did you know?

EFC and WIF collaborated in 2024 to launch Women on Board, an executive education course delivered by EFC Campus. Women on Board includes a specific curriculum aimed at supporting women in senior roles across European football to take the next step into board and executive positions. The partnership sees the two organisations combine their expertise, networks, and platforms to promote and support people from a wide range of backgrounds to build careers in football and be visible within the game.

On International Women’s Day this year, a new partnership between EFC and WIF was announced that will bring the two organisations together. To support the launch, Hayley McQueen hosted a special webinar to kick-start the partnership.

Everyone’s Game FC aims to create a welcoming space for people across football to learn from one another, build connections and take part in conversations that move the industry forward. It reflects a simple idea: football is stronger when more people feel they belong. The initiative will include an eight-part webinar series that explores topics relevant to people working in football today.

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