FA set to appoint first woman to board

22 December 2011 14:17

England's Football Association is set to appoint its first woman to its board after Heather Rabbatts was nominated to be an independent non-executive director.

Rabbatts, 56, a former deputy chairman of south London club Millwall, who play in English football's second-tier Championship, has also worked in local government, financial services and the media during a varied career.

Her appointment, and that of fellow non-executive director Roger Devlin, has still to be ratified by the FA's ruling council, whose next meeting is set to be 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 FA's governance set-up has come under fire for containing too many long-serving 'blazers' from the amateur game in an era where Premier League clubs dominate the financial landscape of English football.

The new appointments, provided they are approved by the FA council, will see the existing board increased from 12 to 14 members, made up of 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."

Source: AFP