The FA will send a predominantly female delegation to Qatar for the World Cup draw in April for the first time ever, with manager Gareth Southgate also set to be present
- The main three-person party will include recently appointed chair Debbie Hewitt
- Head of international relations Jane Bateman and chief executive Mark Bullingham will also be present for the trip out to Qatar in April
- Director of communications, Louisa Fyans will attend as an official observer
The Football Association are dispatching a predominantly female top-table assembly to the World Cup draw in Qatar for the first time in its 159-year history.
England will discover next Friday who they will face in the group stages of the tournament that is scheduled to start on November 21.
The primary three-person delegation will include recently appointed chairperson Debbie Hewitt, head of international relations Jane Bateman and chief executive Mark Bullingham.
England boss Gareth Southgate will be among a will be among a mainly female delegation the FA will send out to Qatar to observe the FIFA World Cup draw that will take place in April
The primary three-person delegation will include recently appointed chair Debbie Hewitt
The FA’s director of communications Louisa Fyans will also attend in an official observer capacity. England head coach Gareth Southgate will also make the trip to Qatar as he awaits news on his team’s opponents.
Other supplementary staff are also travelling, but the female contingent within the main party will outweigh the male presence for the first time.
Sportsmail understands the FA’s director of international relations Edleen John, who is currently under an FA investigation amid bullying claims, is not going to Qatar.
The organisation has worked hard to improve equality inside the organisation in recent years, and the sight of a strong female contingent on the front line in Qatar next week will go someway to altering the FA’s perception.
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