FA Nominates First Chairwoman
The FA has chosen Debbie Hewitt MBE to become its new chair. Hewitt will be the Football Association’s first ever female chair in its 157-year history. Her nomination by the seven-member panel was unanimous, and she will take over from interim chair Peter McCormick OBE in January 2022.
The FA is facing difficult times, due to the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic. ©Tembela Bohle/Pexels
Unanimously Chosen
The FA has announced that it has nominated Debbie Hewitt MBE to become its first ever chairwoman. A selection panel consisting of seven members unanimously chose Hewitt for the role, which will take effect in January 2022. The selection panel was led by independent non-executive FA director Kate Tinsley, and is subject to FA Council ratification.
The panel universally agreed that, based on her wealth of career expertise, Hewitt has the experience and skills to lead football’s governing body. She has held an array of high-up management roles across a number of different sectors over the last fifteen years. She is currently the non-executive chair of BGL Group, Visa Europe, The Restaurant Group and White Stuff.
Her impressive resumé includes previous roles, such as non-executive chair positions at Moss Bros, Evander Group, HR Owen and the HPI Group. She was also CEO of the RAC for two years, until it was acquired by Aviva. Hewitt received her MBE in 2011, in recognition of her services to business and the public sector.
She will stand down from her role at The Restaurant Group at the end of 2021, after six years leading the FTSE 250 listed restaurant chain. Shortly after, she will commence her new position with the FA. The panel praised her leadership qualities and character as making her the ideal candidate for the role.
Chair of the selection panel, Kate Tinsley, had warm words for Hewitt on her nomination. Describing Hewitt as a great appointment for the FA, Tinsley explained why a female chair would be good for future of English football. Tinsley added:
“Debbie was the outstanding candidate from a talented and experienced field. She immediately demonstrated her passion and ability to positively influence the direction of the FA on a domestic and global stage, providing strong and principled leadership along the way.”
Taking Over from McCormick
Hewitt will be taking over from current interim chair, Peter McCormick OBE. McCormick is recognized as one of the UK’s top sports lawyers and received his OBE in 2000 for services to charity. He is chair of the Legal Advisory Group of the Premier League, as well as chair of the Premier Leagues’ Football Board.
From January 2014 until July of the same year, he chaired the Premier League. In 2015, he was chosen by Premier League clubs to become a director at the FA, as well as a member of its Council, Professional Game Board and International Committee. He then went on to become a member of the Football Regulatory Authority and continued to rise through the ranks of the FA.
By 2016, McCormick was chair of the FA Premier League Medical Care Scheme, which offers private health care to 95% of the UK’s professional footballers. The following year he was unanimously chosen as vice chair of the FA. Following the announcement that FA chair Greg Clarke had resigned in 2020, McCormick stepped into his shoes as interim chair.
Despite spending a large portion of his career with the FA, McCormick’s position as chair was never intended to be permanent. While he stood in, the FA searched for a permanent choice, and has now settled on Hewitt. McCormick has welcomed her nomination, stating that he is very much looking forward to working with her. He said:
“We’re delighted to nominate Debbie as our new Chair. Her experience across many different areas of business and general approach will allow her to work collaboratively across the game, while providing her own insight, experience and judgement on the issues that matter most.”
The FA Council is due to ratify Hewitt as the new chair at its next meeting, which is scheduled for July 22nd. Until then, Hewitt’s nomination is conditional, although it is highly unlikely that the FA Council will go against the selection panel at this stage. Peter McCormick OBE will continue as interim chair until January 2022, when Hewitt will take over.
Chance to Modernize
Hewitt’s nomination as the FA’s first ever chairwoman has been met with positive reaction and hailed as a landmark moment for football. Former England and Manchester United defender Gary Neville described her as an “outstanding appointment” and said that she would give the FA the chance to modernize. Many in the sport took to Twitter to congratulate her on her nomination.
Hewitt’s nomination marks a step forward for gender equality in football and the boardroom. She represents a marked contrast to her predecessor at the FA, Greg Clarke. He resigned in 2020 after making inappropriate comments about black and gay people in front of a government committee.
Clarke made the comments while speaking to the DCMS via video link about the racist abuse football players are subject to on social media. He later apologized for the comments, which included the use of outdated terms, harmful stereotypes and saying that gay players had made a “life choice”.
Announcing his resignation, Clarke accepted that his words were unacceptable and a disservice to football. However, it was not the first time that Clarke had been heard to make racist, sexist and homophobic comments. Three years earlier he was criticized for describing institutional racism as “fluff” in front of the same parliamentary committee.
In 2018, Clarke shocked LGBT groups when he signed a memorandum of understanding with the FA of Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal. Following Clarke’s resignation, the governing body is keen to move on from these controversies, and has chosen a new chair that it hopes can lead a more diverse and equal FA.
A lifelong Liverpool fan, Hewitt is delighted to take on the role. In a statement, she said that she is excited to work with CEO Mark Bullingham and the team and hopes to lead the FA as a positive force in football and society. However, the FA has a plethora of difficult issues to overcome.
The coronavirus pandemic has had a huge impact on football, and it has been projected that by 2024, the FA’s financial losses could reach up to £300 million. It has already had to dismiss 124 employees. Hewitt will also have to navigate the fallout of the failed European Super League, as well as a government review into how English football is governed.
