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The London Football Association (LFA) has announced the appointment of 10 new Non-Executive Board members - and 50 per cent are women.

The LFA, the largest of the County Football Associations, is determined to lead the way in corporate governance and help the sport become more inclusive and representative of Londoners.

Whilst half of its newly appointed members are female, a third of the board are from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds including Vivienne Aiyela, Chair of the Anti-Discrimination Disciplinary Panel for The FA.

The board will have a greater say in shaping a more diverse and sustainable future for football in the Capital.

Lisa Pearce, CEO of LFA and the first female to hold this position, said: “Our governance initiative attracted overwhelming support from the sporting and business communities and as a result, we received over 65 applications for the Non-Executive Board roles.

"I was extremely impressed by the calibre of applicants and we have strengthened our board with a group of talented and highly qualified individuals. 

“Our new board members’ wealth of diverse management skills, experience and backgrounds puts us in a very strong position and we’re looking forward to entering an exciting and progressive era for the LFA.”

The reform in the LFA’s governance adheres to Sport England and UK Sport’s Code for Sports Governance which came into effect from April 2017.

Ruth Holdaway, CEO of Women in Sport said: “I’m excited about the opportunity to build on the great work that has already been done to engage more women and girls in the game.

"As a new Board, we are committed to good governance and to ensuring we are making football inclusive for all Londoners.”    

The new LFA positions include three independent Non-Executive Directors, six Non-Executive Football Directors  and one Non-Executive Finance & Risk Director.

The new members are as follows:

Independent Non-Executive Directors
Ruth Holdaway, Chief Executive, Women in Sport
Kirstin Furber, People Director, BBC Worldwide
Simon Hughes, previous LFA board member and former MP for Bermondsey

Non-Executive Football Directors:
Vivienne Aiyela, Chair of the Anti-Discrimination Disciplinary Panel for the FA
Gabby Shirley, Development Manager, Youth Sport Trust
Paul Mortimer, Professional Players Engagement Manager, Kick It Out
Louise Dorling, retired academic and London FA Council Member
Ian Wallis, previous LFA board member, Chair of the Cup Competitions Committee and South East Division
Derek Harris, previous LFA board member, Vice Chair of the London Youth Division, Chair of the London Youth Representative team, Director of Development Committee

Non-Executive Finance & Risk Director
Alistair Morgan, Engagement Director at the National Audit Office

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