The Football Association board have unanimously approved the appointment of Heather Rabbatts and Roger Devlin as independent non-executive directors.
Rabbatts, 56, is a former deputy chair of Millwall and will become the first female to sit on the FA board. She has more than 20 years of executive and non-executive experience from the public and private sector and across a breadth of industries, including local government, media, financial services and football.
Devlin, 54, is an experienced non-executive director and has operated as a senior executive within the corporate sector, with expertise in sectors including banking, sport and media rights.
The appointments will now be put to the FA council for ratification early in the new year.
FA chairman David Bernstein said: "I am naturally delighted by the decision of the board to endorse the appointments of both Heather and Roger.
"This is an important moment for the FA and represents a significant change to our governance structures.
"There were numerous outstanding candidates for the roles, but the important thing is that our decision was based on recruiting suitable individuals who are able to provide a strong challenge and supplement the existing range of skills and experience on the board."
The appointments, providing they are approved by the FA council, will see the existing board extended from 12 to 14 members, comprising five representatives from the national game, five from the professional game, the FA chairman and general secretary as well as the two new independent non-executive directors.
Rabbatts said: "Having worked across media, business and football I hope to bring those experiences to my work at the FA."
Devlin, who been a financial advisor to a number of Premier League clubs, said: "It is an honour to be put forward for such an important role within the national game and I relish the opportunity to be able to positively input into the future of football in England."
Source: PA
