Leadership was the focus at Wembley for the latest Women in Football event, supported by The FA, this week.
Jacqui Oatley chaired proceedings which saw FA CEO Martin Glenn, England and Arsenal defender Alex Scott, FA director of participation and development Kelly Simmons MBE, FA anti-discrimination chairperson’s panel member Vivienne Aiyela and Jenny Horsfield of Cambridge United's Community Trust debating some of the key issues relating to female representation in the game.
On a night when the England Women's Under-17s lost to Japan in a World Cup qualifier, there was many positive developments off the pitch up for discussion. Scott, who’ll be joining the England senior women’s team next week ahead of the international in Doncaster against France, enjoyed the experience: "It was great to come to Wembley today and hear from so many different people about women and leadership," she said.
"I am captain for my club but there is so much we can learn from each other and this event was an example of that."
The event was organised as part of Girls Football Week which has seen a range of activities across the country. Head of Equality Sue Ravenlaw said: "Whilst we’ve worked with Women in Football closely in recent years, this event is the first time we’ve worked jointly on delivering an event which shows real progress on our journey together.
"The subject was leadership and we’ve just launched our own programme here at The FA aimed at getting more talented women from across the game in boardroom positions."
Women in Football is a network of professional women working in and around the football industry who support and champion their peers. The organisation publishes a 'Women in Football' survey which reports on the experiences of women working in the football industry.
Women in Football also organises a number of events throughout the year to provide opportunities for women working in football to network and discuss the issues that matter to them, the next being at the TUC’s Congress House in London. For more information on this please email events@womeninfootball.co.uk
