The Board met at Wembley Stadium on Thursday 27 September 2018 and set out below are the main discussion points.
Martin Glenn (CEO) and Mark Burrows (Chief Finance and Operations Officer) provided an update on the offer received from the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars for the purchase of Wembley Stadium.
The Board noted the key terms of the proposed sale agreement and the principles on how the proceeds from the sale will be reinvested into community football facilities. The Board agreed to take the presentation to the Council to get its input now that the full facts are known.
Dan Ashworth (Technical Director), Gareth Southgate (Men’s Senior Manager) and Robert Sullivan (Director, International and Corporate Affairs) presented a review of the 2018 FIFA Men’s World Cup, both on-field and off-field.
Gareth took the Board through the detailed preparation for the tournament, the principles around squad selection and the performance from the group stage matches through to the semi-final and third place play-off.
Robert reported on the key off-field activities, including our close liaison with Government, Police and supporters’ groups on squad and supporter safety, media relations and some of the social media statistics arising from the World Cup.
Jon Sellins (Technical Director) and Susan Corrin (Senior Health, Safety & Risk Manager) presented an overview of The FA’s approach to health and safety. The Board noted the governance structure in place to manage health and safety, the main risks across The FA Group and our drive to embed best practice across the organisation. While not complacent, the Board took comfort from the manner in which we are managing health and safety for our staff and visitors.
The Board had a discussion on the implications of Brexit on football. The main issue to reconcile is how to protect the global appeal of our professional leagues while at the same time providing an effective pathway for young English qualified players. We will continue our discussions with the Professional Game and present our views to Government in due course.
We noted the progress of the feasibility study into whether we should bid to host the 2030 FIFA Men’s World Cup and look forward to seeing the final report in the new year.
