They say if you can’t beat them, then join them. Women have in many countries been give a raw deal in sport having their own games run by men and coached by men, but it would appear that is all beginning to change in the UK, and those changes may well spread, or encourage other women to stand up and be counted.
The head at Sport England and UK Sport are both women. The Minister for Sport is a woman as is the head of the Sport and Recreation Alliance.
In fact this year’s Rugby World Cup being hosted by England sees another lady in charge, Debbie Jevans. Now is there a more masculine environment for a women to be involved?
There is now speculation that arguably the most male dominated institution in Britain, The Football Association may well employ a woman to replace outgoing Chief Executive Alex Horne.
FA Chairman Greg Dyke has not discounted a woman in the job as long as she is qualified for the role. Front runners are the strong-willed Heather Rabbatts the only female board member, Karren Brady the Vice Chairman at West Ham and Sunderland’s Chief Executive Margaret Byrne, a lawyer from Belfast who is on the FA Council and a member of their International Committee. She became CEO at the Black Cats three years ago after impressing as their in-house lawyer.
One thing you can be assured of with a woman in charge is there is no old boys club, and no former alliances which can effect decision making. You can also be sure that to be in a position to be considered they have worked damn hard to get there and must be good at their job.
This fresh approach may well be what many sports need, although time will tell if such a radical move does in fact happen
