FA Chair Debbie Hewitt MBE will join the Government’s new UK Soft Power Council, which aims to bring together some of the UK’s most influential figures to steer and advise government on soft power and foreign policy.
Taking a new approach to foreign policy, it will enable the UK Government to build stronger partnerships at home and abroad, identify opportunities to both strengthen the UK’s reach and reputation and enhance the UK’s influence for future generations.
Co-chaired by the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, the term ‘soft power’ is defined as: “a concept referring to the ability of a country or entity to influence others through attraction and persuasion rather than coercion or force. It encompasses cultural, ideological, and policy appeal including media, education and cultural exchanges.”
And Debbie has been invited to join as a representative of the sport sector, with English football being one of the UK’s biggest exports.
“I’m honoured to accept the invitation to join the Council,” said Debbie.
“Sport plays such a big role in the UK’s culture and football is one of England’s most popular exports, with millions of people across the world watching the English game across multiple competitions and supporting English clubs.
“I look forward to working together as a group to ensure our game continues to grow both at home and around the world, in tandem with the UK’s many other cultural exports.”
English football is broadcast in 188 countries via the Premier League, reaching over 900m people annually, and revenue generated by women’s sport in the UK is set to grow to £1bn a year by 2030, making it one of the fastest growing areas in this sector.
Television viewership of women’s sport in the UK continues to break records, with 20.9 million people watching three minutes or more of coverage during the first four months of 2024.
Since the London Olympics and Paralympics in 2012, the UK has secured over 130 major international sporting events including the UEFA Men’s EURO 2020 competition, the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 competition and the 2014 and 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Major upcoming events on home soil include the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, the 2026 Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup, the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and UEFA EURO 2028.
In addition to sport, UK universities are globally recognised with international students bringing £4.5bn to the UK economy and around one in five world leaders today were educated at a UK university.
The UK’s cultural assets, including museums, theatres and heritage sites, attract international tourists contributing £25bn each year to the UK economy.