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In 2017 a Women in Football survey showed that only 35 out of 523 directors in the EFL were women. That is less than seven per cent.

By the 2018/2019 season, only 11 women sat on the boards of the 20 Premier League Clubs. Shocked? Probably not…

Women continue to be under-represented in both football and boardrooms across the country, so it’s not surprising to hear these figures. But that doesn’t mean it has to stay that way.

Speaking to Switch The Play Women in Football CEO Jane Purdon said: "Creating balanced boardrooms is pivotal to developing a successful leadership team that’s representative of its fans and society on the whole.

"A modern board should consist of people belonging to different genders, and diverse with regard to other measures such as ethnicity, geographical socio-economic background, disability and sexuality in order to reflect real life.

"We also know that organisations with diverse backgrounds perform better. Diversity and inclusion have a hugely positive impact on key decisions so increasing this can only be more beneficial.

"As the visibility of women’s football and women working in football becomes more normalised, women require a bigger say over the decisions being made at board level.

"Often women new to business have concerns over their relevance in the boardroom and question what they can bring to the table, so it’s important to build their confidence and demonstrate how they can use their transferable skills here. If this is you, trust me, you have so much to offer, so never doubt it."

To read this special interview with Jane in full please click on the link here.

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