FA announce new board to develop growth of Women's club football following England's World Cup success

The FA are looking to grow the women's domestic game after England attracted record audiences throughout the World Cup

Former Channel 5 boss Dawn Airey will chair a new 12-strong board to oversee the growth of the Women's Super League and Championship, the Football Association has confirmed.

Joining Airey on the high-powered panel are Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck, new FA chief executive Mark Bullingham and UK Sport's former chief executive Liz Nicholl.

There are five men and seven women on the panel, with four representatives from WSL clubs, two from the Championship, three from the FA, two independents and Airey.

"This summer the Lionesses captured our imagination with their skill, passion and excellence, and we're hoping this momentum will carry on into the domestic game in the upcoming season," said Airey, who has also held senior posts with Getty Images and Yahoo.

"With this in mind, the new joint board will look to support the FA further as it continues to grow participation in the women's game."

The announcement comes a day after Chelsea and Manchester City confirmed that their WSL season-openers against Spurs and Manchester United, respectively, will be held at their main stadiums, with tickets for Stamford Bridge being free and City running a kids-go-free scheme at the Etihad.

It is also only a week after the biggest television audience of the year so far - 11.7 million viewers - watched England's dramatic defeat by the United States in semi-final of the Women's World Cup.

But how to translate the obvious interest in the national team's progress this summer into a formula for a popular and sustainable domestic game is the big challenge, and the composition of this board is a clear signal of how the clubs and FA believe this will be achieved.

The FA is reviewing how to develop the women's game (Getty)

The national governing body has made little secret of the fact that it does not see itself as the best organisation to run the women's professional game in the long term, and the creation of this board is part of what will be a gradual transfer of authority to either the Premier League, English Football League or some new bespoke organisation.

As the FA's director of the women's professional game Kelly Simmons put it: "The new board is a major step forward in the development of the women's professional game.

"It has tremendous commercial and football expertise which will help transform the women's game in England, growing audiences and revenue, and enabling it to become sustainable in the long term."

The eight other members of the board are: former Lawn Tennis Association chair David Gregson, Arsenal legal counsel Svenja Geissmar, Manchester City chief operating officer Omar Berrada, Spurs director of football operations Rebecca Caplehorn, Aston Villa commercial director Nicola Ibbetson, Durham FC manager Lee Sanders, FA director of women's football Baroness Sue Campbell and chair of the FA women's board Sue Hough.

PA