Take a deep dive into Women in Football's most recent activity
Welcome to the main event! In this section of the annual report, we'll look in greater depth at Women in Football's activities from June 2023 to May 2024.
First, there's our interactive timeline, which walks you through the WIF calendar month by month. Then we'll zoom in on two of the year's big highlights: the Women in Football Be Inspired Conference in partnership with Barclays; and the announcement of our 2023 survey results.
Step through the highlights of the 2023-24 period,
one month at a time
June 2023
- 'Fireside chat' webinar featuring Prof Laura McAllister – UEFA Vice-President, former captain of the Welsh national team, and Professor of Public Policy at Cardiff University – in conversation with WIF Chair Ebru Köksal
- WIF director Monique Choudhuri features on panel at City Football Leadership Institute's Thought Leadership Forum
July 2023
- Brentford FC join WIF as a corporate member
- WIF launches The Next Goal with Adecco Group and LHH to support female players' career transitions
- 'Playing it Wide' careers event in partnership with BBC Sport discusses breadth of professional pathways available to women in football
- 2023 survey results released at England v Denmark FIFA Women's World Cup watch party at Hotel Football, Manchester
- WIF social channels highlight content around the FIFA Women's World Cup, created by Girls on the Ball, Ryhanna Parara, Chloe Morgan, Laura Youngson and Debs Dilworth
August 2023
- 'Work in Progress' webinar examines what the WIF survey reveals about the football industry
- WIF join in international public response to Luis Rubiales incident following 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup final
September 2023
- Women in Football's Open Doors Agenda calls for fundamental governance change in order to build a gender-equal football culture, starting at the top
- Launch of WIF football, produced by Alive and Kicking, supporting ethical, sustainable work for poverty-stricken communities in sub-Saharan Africa
- Women in Football Leadership Course in partnership with Barclays hosted at Brentford FC
October 2023
- At the House of Lords a WIF event in partnership with Lego brings together influential figures to discuss the Open Doors Agenda
- Thirty WIF members join The Summit at Leaders Week thanks to a #GetOnside pledge from Leaders Business
- Women in Football join the #Merky FC programme set up by adidas and Stormzy to widen opportunities in the football industry for people of black heritage
November 2023
- First Women in Football event in Scotland in partnership with Sodexo Live! – a panel discussion and networking at Hampden Park
- WIF celebrate female students at University Campus of Football Business (UCFB) with Michelle Dorgan, Danetta Powell, Sarah Collins and Remmie Williams
- First in-person session on WIF's Entrepreneur Mentorship Programme powered by Xero
- WIF Leadership Course in partnership with Barclays takes place at Hotel Football in Manchester
December 2023
- WIF celebrates two years of the #GetOnside campaign, levelling the playing field for women and girls in football
- Sodexo Live! becomes Women in Football's newest corporate member
- WIF welcomes UK government's acceptance of recommendations in Raising the Bar, the review of women's football led by Karen Carney MBE
January 2024
- Sky Sports renews Corporate Membership of Women in Football
- Part two of the Entrepreneur Mentorship Programme powered by Xero gets under way
- WIF ambassador Janie Frampton is awarded an OBE
February 2024
- WIF join forces with Arsenal FC and the Grounds Management Association to celebrate the first ever all-female ground staff team
- Mentors and mentees on The Next Goal programme with Adecco Group and LHH meet face to face in London
- tms becomes a corporate member of Women in Football
- WIF announces partnership with the Women's Football Awards 2024
- WIF Leadership Course in partnership with Barclays takes place at Fulham FC's Craven Cottage
March 2024
- Third Women in Football Be Inspired Conference in partnership with Barclays takes place at Wembley Stadium with guest speakers including Emma Hayes OBE
- WIF launches #TodayAndEveryDay campaign on International Women's Day with a video featuring contributions from Jill Scott MBE, Emma Hayes OBE, Jacqui Oatley MBE, and Mollie and Rosie Kmita
- EFL joins Women in Football as a corporate member
April 2024
- WIF's first Women's Health Summit takes place at Craven Cottage, with Fulham FC and Elevate
- Former WIF CEO Jane Purdon steps down from the board but continues to represent the organisation as an ambassador
- Women in Football Leadership Course in partnership with Barclays hosted by Birmingham City FC
May 2024
- Newcastle United FC become a corporate member of Women in Football
- WIF CEOs past and present Yvonne Harrison and Jane Purdon are named Women's Football Champion and Unsung Hero respectively at the Women's Football Awards
- Many WIF partners honoured at the Football Business Awards 2024
- Women in Football gives evidence to Parliament regarding the Football Governance Bill
- WIF teams up with Sports Biz Midlands to host a regional networking event in Coventry with a free stadium tour
- Women in Football Leadership Course in partnership with Barclays hosted at M&C Saatchi offices in London
Two days of empowering connection, featuring the biggest names in the game: that's our conference in partnership with Barclays
“The Women in Football conference is so critical to help develop next-generation talent… to provide not only networking opportunities but a brilliant opportunity to develop ideas, showcase talent, and be together.”
Emma Hayes OBE
Head Coach, US women's national team
It's the football industry event with a buzz like no other, where equality is centre stage. In March 2024 the Women in Football Be Inspired Conference in partnership with Barclays returned to Wembley Stadium for a third wonderful year… and we knew anticipation levels were high when WIF members snapped up all the tickets in record time!
Highlights among this year's keynotes were the legendary Emma Hayes OBE and Jill Scott MBE, while star panellists included broadcaster and former Lioness Eni Aluko MBE, who featured on a panel addressing misogyny in the game.
Broadcaster Eni Aluko MBE looks back on the panel she participated in at the 2024 Be Inspired conference
Broadcaster Eni Aluko MBE looks back on the panel she participated in at the 2024 Be Inspired conference
We're always looking for ways to make the conference more accessible, and our lead partner Barclays again provided bursary places for delegates from underrepresented groups. For those who couldn't be there in person this year we introduced a virtual ticket, offering a live stream of most sessions from the main stage. And in 2024, for the first time our delegates could use a Be Inspired app to book breakout places, learn about the speakers, set reminders and contact each other.
Hosts and keynote speakers at Be Inspired 2024
Alison Brittain CBE
David Dein MBE
Karthi Gnanasegaram
Emma Hayes OBE
Jacqui Oatley MBE
Jill Scott MBE
Supporters of panels at Be Inspired 2024
Barclays
EFL
Elevate
LHH
Mishcon de Reya
Odgers Berndtson
Portas
Premier League
Road3
Sky Sports
Sportsbeat
Sports Interactive
Xero
Plans are already under way for Be Inspired 2025! If you'd like to discuss partnering with us for the event, and connecting with hundreds of highly skilled and motivated delegates, please get in touch on info@womeninfootball.co.uk.
Meanwhile, see below for some of our favourite images from the event...
The Women in Football survey gives unparalleled insights into the experiences and attitudes of the game's female workforce
If you're a member of our community, it's a way to make your voice heard.
If you're a policymaker, a researcher, or a journalist – or anyone with an interest in the experiences and hopes of the game's ever-growing female workforce – it offers insights of remarkable breadth and depth.
The Women in Football survey is now conducted annually, and every year it's attracting more responses... and more attention.
We revealed the results of the 2023 survey on 27 July, at a World Cup watch party hosted by Manchester's Hotel Football. Media interest was high, and outlets covering our findings included The Guardian and BBC Sport.
Women in Football members respond to the thought-provoking results of the 2023 survey, revealed by CEO Yvonne Harrison at WIF's watch party for England v Denmark in the FIFA Women's World Cup
Then we held a special webinar entitled 'Work in Progress', taking a closer look at the results as well giving our members a chance to ask questions and make further points.
Some of the latest data (from the 2024 survey) appears in the infographics on this page of the annual report. Overall we're seeing an increase in the proportion of women in football telling us they've experienced gender-based discrimination at work – with worryingly low numbers feeling able to report it, and little in the way of action when they do.
But there's also a surge of optimism about women's prospects in the industry, with more and more respondents to the survey telling us they believe things are improving.
It's certainly a mixed bag of findings, with those positives and negatives adding up to a realistic snapshot of what the reality is for football's female workforce today.
And from now on the Women in Football survey will be an annual occurrence, helping us – and the game's most influential stakeholders – to keep track of the trends in real time. Keep your eyes open for the next one.
Built with Shorthand