Set out below is an update on the Council meeting which took place on Wednesday 2 November 2022.
Council Membership
We welcomed the following new Council Members who had joined since the previous meeting:
- John Horsley, Berks & Bucks FA
- Marvin Robinson, English Schools FA
The FA Youth Council
The FA Youth Council’s Chair, Nayim Ahmed, and Vice-Chairs, Ellie Reid and Tiara Hemans, presented on its role and responsibilities to The FA Council. The FA Youth Council’s mission is to change the game to maximise the impact for all young people and the presentation showed how the various stakeholders in football could engage with it to achieve this.
Future of Women’s Football
One of the recommendations from the Fan-led Review of Football Governance was for a separate review to be set up to look at the future of women’s football. Our Director of the Women’s Professional Game, Kelly Simmons, presented on the areas of focus of The FA’s response to the call for evidence.
Council Review
We are currently reviewing the role and purpose of the Council, and the Royal Navy FA’s Steve Johnson presented on the scope of this, which will look at the Council’s mission, membership, powers, committees, meetings and identity.
Fan-led Review of Football Governance
Our Chair and Leader of the Council, Debbie Hewitt MBE, and Head of Public Affairs, James MacDougall, updated the Council on progress with the recommendations from the Fan-led Review, notably the development of an Independent Regulatory Body, which will focus on the financial sustainability of clubs.
2022 UEFA Women’s Euros and 2028 UEFA Men’s Euros Hosting Bid
The FA’s Chief Operating Officer, Mark Burrows, presented an operational review of this year’s UEFA Women’s Euros and the joint bid with the UK & Ireland National Associations to host the 2028 UEFA Men’s Euros.
