FFA appoints head of women’s football

Football Federation Australia (FFA) has this week announced that Emma Highwood has been appointed as the Head of Women’s Football.

Highwood will assume the responsibilities in addition to her current role as FFA’s Head of Community Football and a member of the Senior Management Team.

Prior to this appointment, Highwoodwas instrumental in the development and launch of FFA’s Women’s Football Strategy last year, which sets out to establish football as the most appealing and successful women’s sport in Australia.

Commenting on the appointment, FFA Chief Executive David Gallop said combining the senior management responsibilities for women’s and community football was part of FFA’s strategic approach to game development and participation growth.

Gallop stated “FFA wants women’s football development to be at the heart of the game, not as a separate stream, that’s why including women’s football in Emma’s portfolio makes strategic sense.

“The growth in women’s football at junior and senior levels has been one of the major drivers of participation in Australian football over the past decade and we want to maximise the potential.

“Emma has proven herself as a dynamic and innovative executive and I’m delighted she’s accepted this new challenge.”

As part of the new structure, Gallop has confirmed that FFA will recruit a new Marketing Manager for Women’s Football while the process of appointing a new Head Coach of the Westfield Matildas is underway.

Highwood has risen through the ranks at FFA over the past four years, working in game and club development roles, and co-ordinating FFA’s key game development partnerships with State and Territory Member Federations, including the implementation of the National Premier Leagues model.

She was the project leader of the MyFootballClub web portal, which is now the biggest sports registration database in Australia.

Welcoming her appointment, Highwood explained “these are exciting times for women’s football and we have wonderful opportunities from the grassroots to the elite level.

“Participation in women’s football is growing rapidly and we have incredible role models in the Westfield Matildas.

“The team’s success in Asia, next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup and the increasing profile of the Westfield W-League will help us tell the great story of women’s football in Australia.”