Vacancy description
Key Information
- Division:CEO and Chair's Office
- Location:Wembley Stadium
- Closing Date:12 November 2025
The Football Association – Independent Non-Executive Director (INED)
Our Organisation
The Football Association [The FA] is the not-for-profit governing body of football in England. It is responsible for promoting and developing every level of the game, from grassroots through to the professional game, and generates significant revenue to support investment into English football each year.
The FA oversees England international teams across men's, women's, youth and disability football, as well as running the National League System and FA Competitions including the Emirates FA Cup, and the Adobe Women's FA Cup, and the world-class facilities of Wembley Stadium and St. George's Park, all with a purpose to inspire positive change through football.
The FA Board comprises ten members, being an independent chair, four independent non-executive directors (inc. the SID), two stakeholder representatives from each of the Professional Game (being the Premier League and EFL) and the National Game (the collective term used for all football below the professional level) and the FA CEO.
In advance of one our current INEDs reaching the end of their full term in October 2026, we are starting the search for a successor.
Applications for the role of INED at The FA will be managed externally by Andy Hayward at Sam Allen Associates. To apply, please email your CV and cover letter to applications@samallen.co.uk by 12th November 2025.
The Role
The primary role of the INED is to bring objectivity to board discussions and an independent point of view and judgement on matters such as strategy, performance, ways to manage and connect with the different stakeholders and ensure good governance.
The INED will:
- Be curious and provide both challenge and support to other Board Directors and the Executive team.
- Ensure that the Board acts with integrity and takes all the different stakeholder interests into account as it makes decisions. This includes supporting the Chair to manage the trade-offs that will naturally arise from these stakeholders to ensure that decisions are taken in the best, and long-term interests of the game.
- Be an ambassador for English football and The FA, both at home and abroad, building strong relationships at all levels across the game.
The person will:
- Be an experienced Executive-level leader, familiar with operating at Board-level, ideally having held a CEO/Managing Director/Functional Director leadership role.
- Bring experience relevant to Board Committees specifically any of the Audit, Remuneration, and Commercial Committees.
- Candidates who have current or recent experience working in regulated sectors are of particular interest.
- Demonstrate the intellect and natural curiosity to contribute widely to discussion, drawing on experience that will be credible to a variety of stakeholders.
- Be a progressive thinker who will use their skill, experience and values to nurture the existing culture and contribute to complex debate.
- Have well-developed stakeholder management skills combined with determination and resilience.
- Be keen and willing to travel to attend fixtures and events, in addition to attending Board meetings.
- Have a passion for football and the vital contribution it makes to society at large.
Term:
INEDs are given an initial term of three years and can serve for a maximum of 3 terms of 3 years.
Time Commitment:
Commit to up to 25 days per annum to attend FA Board and Board Committee meetings and to attend fixtures and events.
Definition of Independence:
A person who is generally considered to be free from any close connection to The FA and a close connection shall be deemed to include, without limitation, the following:
i) the person is, or has been within the last four years, actively involved in our affairs or held any position or role within The FA *
ii) the person holds, or has held within the last six months, a position or role with any Football Stakeholder (e.g. a league, club, County FA)
iii) the person has, or has had within the last six months, a Material Business Relationship with The
iv) the person has close family ties with any directors, senior employees or committee members.
* The Board has discretion to reduce this to six months in certain circumstances
Applications for the role of INED at The FA will be managed externally by Andy Hayward at Sam Allen Associates. To apply, please email your CV and cover letter to applications@samallen.co.uk by 12th November 2025.
The Football Association promotes equality, diversity and inclusion, and welcomes applications from everyone who meets the criteria. If you have any particular requirements and/or reasonable adjustments in respect of the recruitment or interview process, please detail this in your application and covering letter.
ABOUT US
The Football Association [The FA] is the not-for-profit governing body of football in England. It is responsible for promoting and developing every level of the game, from grassroots through to the professional game, and generates significant revenue to support investment into English football each year.
The FA oversees England international teams across men’s, women’s, youth and disability football, as well as running the National League System and FA Competitions including the Emirates FA Cup, and the Adobe Women’s FA Cup, and the world-class facilities of Wembley Stadium and St. George’s Park, all with a purpose to inspire positive change through football.
Our game can tackle some of society’s core challenges. It can bring communities together, nationally and locally. It can be a platform for inclusion, ensuring there is a place for all. It can get people active and promote wellbeing often at a time when we need it most. With UEFA EURO 2028 – hosted in the UK and Ireland – on the horizon, we have an incredible opportunity to transform football across the country.
Now is the time to inspire positive change.
We currently work within a hybrid working model whereby the expectation is to work from your contractual location for part of the week, and as and when required by the team. The remaining days can be worked remotely. We will continue to monitor this model, and it may be adjusted in future if deemed necessary.
Your contract with The FA will specify a fixed location of Wembley Stadium or St. George’s Park unless the role is advertised as a homebased contract. The contractual location of this role can be found at the top of this advert on our FA vacancy page.
GROUP STRATEGY
WE HAVE MOVED FOOTBALL FORWARD.
From 2020 - 2024, we have – in collaboration with our key partners – been able to deliver meaningful change across the game.
From winning our first major tournament in over 50 years to delivering thousands of high-quality pitches to the grassroots game.
BUT WE CAN’T STOP NOW - AND WE WON’T.
This new strategy is about doubling down. Our game can tackle some of society’s core challenges. It can bring communities together, nationally and locally.
It can be a platform for inclusion, ensuring there is a place for all. It can get people active and promote wellbeing often at a time when we need it most.
With UEFA EURO 2028 – hosted in the UK and Ireland – on the horizon, we have an incredible opportunity to transform football across the country.
NOW IS THE TIME TO INSPIRE POSITIVE CHANGE.
Our ultimate purpose is to ‘Inspire positive change through football’ – everything we do ultimately ladders up to this end goal.
The 2024-2028 strategy focuses on tackling four long-term strategic challenges that will fulfil this purpose and drive real change across the game, our ‘Game Changer’ objectives.
Underpinning these Game Changers are then four activities and approaches that will enable us to meet challenges head on, our ‘Drivers’.
EDI STRATEGY
Our equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) strategy forms an integral part of our long-term commitment to using our influence across English football to create a game free from discrimination.
A GAME FREE FROM DISCRIMINATION
Our 2024 – 2028 strategy outlines three fundamental pillars for delivering a game free from discrimination – Boosting Representation, Driving Inclusion and Tackling Discrimination.
These pillars ensure that our work uniting communities, improving lives, and inspiring positive change on and off the pitch will remain a core priority for English football for years to come.
We are a diverse workplace, aspiring to represent football across the country. The FA actively promotes inclusion and diversity, encouraging you to be the best version of yourself at work.
We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. If you have any particular requirements in respect of the recruitment or interview process, please mention this during your application.
As part of The FA’s commitment to ensuring a safe environment for everyone in football, every employee will be required to complete a DBS check. The level of the check required will be based on the activity of the specific job role and in line with legislation and government guidance.
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