News

Women in Football is delighted to announce the appointment of four new non-executive directors to strengthen its board and help achieve its strategic goals:  

• Maggie Murphy, sports business and strategy consultant
• Rafaela Pimienta, football agent and lawyer
• Nuria Tarre, Chief Marketing & Fan Experience Officer at City Football Group
• Zoe Webber, Executive Director at Norwich City FC

These new directors will augment the WIF board in shaping our strategic direction, ensuring the organisation’s long-term success by leveraging their expertise and networks, and working with leading figures in football, sport, and diversity.

WIF Chair Ebru Köksal said: "We are delighted to welcome Maggie, Nuria, Rafaela and Zoe to the WIF board as of 1 April 2025. Their appointment marks an exciting step forward in our mission to drive meaningful and lasting change in the game.

“Throughout the recruitment process, we were truly humbled by the incredible calibre and number of applicants, which is a testament to the growing momentum behind our work and the collective desire to shape a more inclusive football industry. Given the exceptional talent and experience we encountered, we made the decision to expand our board beyond our initial plans by appointing four outstanding non-executive directors.

“Each of these accomplished leaders brings a wealth of strategic insight and industry influence, as well as international experience, spanning areas such as football governance, commercial strategy, player representation, and leadership in global organisations. Their expertise will be instrumental in shaping our long-term vision, strengthening our advocacy for inclusion and equity, and forging new collaborations across the football ecosystem.”

 

Growth

The appointments come at an exciting time of growth for WIF. Our membership now comprises more than 11,000 women, men and non-binary people working, volunteering and aspiring to work in the football industry. On Wednesday 26 March, WIF’s annual Be Inspired Conference, in partnership with Barclays, will bring together more than 500 delegates at Wembley Stadium.

Spring 2025 will also see WIF undertake its annual survey, gauging the experiences and opinions of those working and volunteering in football. Benchmarked against findings from previous years, the results provide an ongoing and often eye-opening indication of the industry’s progress towards gender equality.

To ensure that WIF continues to evolve and is truly representative of the society we live in, a number of current initiatives will support our structure in future, as follows.

• The Membership Committee, created recently, deepens WIF’s engagement with a greater cross-section of the football community, including male allies.  
   
• WIF’s new EDI Advisory Group, a sub-committee of the board, will support the business in developing, promoting and championing our equality, diversity and inclusion and well-being strategies, both internally and externally. Recruitment for the group begins in April. 
   
• The Vikki Orvice Board Apprenticeship programme, named in memory of one of WIF’s founding board members, will be revamped, supporting more female leaders in the industry to become ‘board-ready’. While the WIF Leadership Course has so far empowered more than 600 women with the tools they need to become great leaders, the board apprenticeship scheme will specifically target under-represented communities, to help diversify leadership across the football industry, including on WIF’s own board of directors. 

 

About the new directors

	Maggie Murphy is a sports business and strategy consultant, media contributor, and co-host of the Expected Goals podcast. Former CEO of Lewes FC, she drove the club's record attendances, commercial growth, and award-winning fan engagement over five years. Previously, she held senior advocacy and policy roles at Transparency International and Amnesty International and co-founded Equal Playing Field, promoting opportunity, equality and respect for women and girls in football. She served on the FA Women’s Super League and Championship Board (2021–2024) and was named to the BBC Woman’s Hour Power List in 2023 as one of the UK’s most influential women in sport.
	Rafaela Pimienta is a prominent Brazilian lawyer and football agent who commands respect as a leading figure in sports. After graduating with a law degree from Brazil she chose to focus on sports law with a particular dedication to football. Rafaela shattered industry limitations through her excellent negotiation abilities and profound football industry knowledge while demonstrating strong dedication to her clients' achievements. She is recognised as a trailblazer among women who attained leadership positions in football and has become a role model for aspiring female athletes. Rafaela advocates ethical standards in the football industry while she works to secure her clients’ sustained career development and personal welfare.
	Nuria Tarre is Chief Marketing & Fan Experience Officer at City Football Group (CFG). Her role encompasses content and digital platforms, fan relationship management, fan data and insights, retail and brand growth. Nuria joined CFG in November 2015 after 20 years of experience in senior leadership roles in strategy consulting, telecom, travel and entertainment. Her career has focused on growth-oriented companies in need of performance turnaround, digital innovation and business model transformation. Nuria is well travelled. Her career has seen her live and work in 12 different countries. She is fluent in French, Spanish, Catalan and English.
	Zoe Webber has worked in the football industry for over 20 years and is the Executive Director at Norwich City FC, where she is responsible for overseeing and aligning the strategic direction of the club. Zoe sits on both the board and the executive team and is a trustee for the Norwich City Community Sports Foundation. Zoe has a background in football regulation and player transfers and has gained a broad level of experience working at other clubs including Liverpool and Fulham, as well as several years with the Premier League.

 
 
 

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