Aston Villa appoint Maggie Murphy as managing director | OneFootball

Maggie Murphy

Aston Villa have appointed Maggie Murphy – the former Lewes CEO – as managing director.

She will take up her role at the start of October.

Murphy stepped down from her role at Lewes at the end of the 2023-24 season, saying it was time to “take a breath and take a step back” after five years in post.

She was appointed to the board of Women in Football earlier this year, has also been a board member of the FA WSL and Women’s Championship, and was named as one of BBC Woman’s Hour’s 30 Most Influential Women in Sport in 2023.

A club statement says that the appointment “follows the restructuring of the women’s team as an independent entity under the ownership of V Sports. The new structure allows resources to be allocated directly to the women’s team, enabling dedicated investment that can support the continued development of sporting and business operations.”

‘Ambition to unlock Aston Villa Women’s full potential’

“I’m excited to be joining Aston Villa Women at a moment of ambitious change and renewed purpose at the club,” Murphy said to the club website.

“We now have the structure and support to build momentum off the pitch to support our continued progress on it. By placing fans at the heart of what we do, giving real cause to our community to back the team, and building deeper connections with supporters and partners, we can create the structures and lay the foundations for long-term success.

“Our ambition is clear: to unlock Aston Villa Women’s full potential and cultivate a passion and pride amongst our fans, partners, players and staff that translates into lasting success and impact.”

‘Instrumental in helping to take Villa to the next stage’

“We are delighted that Maggie is joining Aston Villa Women,” added Bashir Lebada, the women’s team’s executive chairman. “Her experience and skillset complement our vision for the women’s team during a time whenwomen’s football is on a major upward growth trajectory.

“She has a hugely impressive CV covering all levels of the game. We believe her depth and breadth of knowledge will be instrumental in helping to take Aston Villa Women to the next stage.

“Following our promotion to the WSL in 2020, we’ve made steady progress on and off the pitch, with our dedicated women’s facilities at Bodymoor among the best in the world. But we have ambitions to go even further by consistently challenging the Big Four and securing regular European football – Maggie will be fundamental in helping us to deliver on this.”