FA Chair Debbie Hewitt MBE recently attended a number of international events, including the UEFA Grow Conference in Rome.
The conference brought together the National Association of Finance and HR Directors, responsible for over 10,000 employees.
Debbie shared insights from her career over the last 40 years. She reflected on her previous roles and her current responsibilities at the FA, and the strategic importance of HR and finance collaboration, while addressing trends in HR such as hybrid working.
Meanwhile, Debbie – the British Vice President on the FIFA Council, sitting as an observer on UEFA’s Executive Committee – also represented the FA at the 75th FIFA Council in Paraguay last month, alongside CEO Mark Bullingham.
Taking place once a year, the FIFA Congress is an opportunity for all 211 FIFA Member Associations to meet in person, build and nurture their international networks and receive updates from the FIFA administration, reviewing the previous 12 months and looking forward to future projects.
Debbie and Mark spent time with various Member Associations, including Nqobile Magwizi, President of the Zimbabwe FA, and his General Secretary, Yvonne Manwa, sharing outlooks on the experiences and challenges of running a national football association.
The Congress – which coincided with the 100th anniversary of the Paraguayan Football Association’s affiliation to FIFA – also marked an opportunity to meet with members of the FIFA administration to discuss the FA’s bid to host the 2035 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
And Debbie also attended the Arnold Clark Schools’ Cup National Finals 2025 which were staged at the bet365 Stadium, home to Stoke City, last month.
The tournament ran between Tuesday 6 May and Thursday 8 May, involving the ten under-16 to under-18s national finals, with Debbie handing out trophies to the winning teams and standout player of the match awards.
