Latest news with #Bullingham
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
FA chief Bullingham insists transgender ban ‘not an ideological judgment'
Mark Bullingham, the chief executive of the Football Association, has written to London grassroots football club Goal Diggers FC explaining the governing body's decision to ban transgender women from women's football 'was not an ideological judgment, but a difficult decision' based on legal advice that a 'change in policy was necessary' following the supreme court ruling which said the term 'woman' in the Equality Act refers only to a biological woman. Representatives of Goal Diggers undertook a 12-mile walk from their training pitches in Haggerston Park to Wembley Stadium to deliver their open letter to the FA. In it they demanded a reversal of the ban on transgender women from women's football and described the FA's decision as a 'pitiful and weak response' to the supreme court's ruling. Bullingham said the FA understands 'how difficult this decision will be for people who want to play football in the gender by which they identify, and we are aware of the significant impact this will have on them', added it 'also understands that it will have repercussions for Goal Diggers FC – your players, coaches, volunteers and fans – who all play an important role in championing diversity in football.' Advertisement Related: SFA to ban transgender women from playing in women's football Bullingham said that the FA would 'like to reassure you that we are committed to working with every registered transgender player in our network to support them in staying involved in football and we will continue to have those conversations'. However, Goal Diggers player Becky Taylor-Gill said the FA needs to stand more firmly with transgender women. 'Their motto is football for all. Put your money where your mouth is,' said Taylor-Gill. 'Put your lawyers in the situation where they can fight for football to be for all. 'We've created a safe space for trans women in our women's team that we really cherish and they should feel welcomed. This decision will just push more trans women out of football at a time when that's what they really need.' Outside the Haggerston Park football pitches where Goal Diggers train, members of the not-for-profit club, which was founded to make football more available and accessible to all women and non-binary people, signed flags and set off flares alongside supporters before setting off on their walk. It had initially been set up as a sponsored walk by Goal Diggers members to fundraise for the club and was to conclude with a letter opposing the FA's existing grassroots transgender women's policy, which will be overtaken by the ban when it comes into effect on 1 June. Advertisement However, after the supreme court ruling and subsequent FA ban, the club decided to open the walk up to others, with members of other clubs and supporters of the campaign joining the walk to endorse the message in the letter that: 'Our governing body should not be adding more barriers to transgender people to be welcomed into the beautiful game.' Taylor-Gill said the decision of the FA 'goes completely against what Goal Diggers stand for and what the grassroots women's football community stands for' adding: 'We've had to fight so much just to be able to play. We, as a club, took us years to find a regular space for us to play football. We were playing football on sandy astro and in kids playgrounds at schools because men's teams had block bookings for all of the pitches. 'The FA have a history of banning women from football. In 1921 they banned women from playing on FA-affiliated pitches and they're doing the same now, but they're just taking aim at our transgender teammates who are already an incredibly vulnerable part of society as things stand in the UK. All they want to do is play football and at a time when it's really important that they have that community because of wider transphobia in society, it's being taken away from them. That's really, really sad.' Sammy Rees, a trans women player for Goal Diggers, described feeling 'hurt, annoyed and scared' following the ban. 'A lot of things that I never worried about in the past are now at the forefront of my mind,' she said. 'I'm stressed, not just about the FA decision but the whole supreme court ruling has changed how I view my life. It's changed how I interact with people, it's made me more conscious of how I present to other people and how people view me, which is something I never really struggled with before.' Advertisement Fiona McAnena, director of campaigns for Sex Matters, which describes itself as an organisation that campaigns for clarity about biological sex in law and life, said of the FA decision: 'The FA has not banned anyone from football. It has restated what it always knew: that women need their own teams and leagues. Playing mixed-sex football should be a choice, not something forced on women and girls because trans-identifying male players want to join women's teams.' Rees added: 'As a trans woman that's played men's football, as much as the people that I played with were lovely and were accepting, I was incredibly uncomfortable and I know other trans people who have felt similarly. It's a completely different environment. When I come into women's football I'm met with nothing but love, guidance, acceptance and most importantly, respect.'
The Guardian
05-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
FA chief Bullingham insists transgender ban ‘not an ideological judgment'
Mark Bullingham, the chief executive of the Football Association, has written to London grassroots football club Goal Diggers FC explaining the governing body's decision to ban transgender women from women's football 'was not an ideological judgment, but a difficult decision' based on legal advice that a 'change in policy was necessary' following the supreme court ruling which said the term 'woman' in the Equality Act refers only to a biological woman. Representatives of Goal Diggers undertook a 12-mile walk from their training pitches in Haggerston Park to Wembley Stadium to deliver their open letter to the FA. In it they demanded a reversal of the ban on transgender women from women's football and described the FA's decision as a 'pitiful and weak response' to the supreme court's ruling. Bullingham said the FA understands 'how difficult this decision will be for people who want to play football in the gender by which they identify, and we are aware of the significant impact this will have on them', added it 'also understands that it will have repercussions for Goal Diggers FC – your players, coaches, volunteers and fans – who all play an important role in championing diversity in football.' Bullingham said that the FA would 'like to reassure you that we are committed to working with every registered transgender player in our network to support them in staying involved in football and we will continue to have those conversations'. However, Goal Diggers player Becky Taylor-Gill said the FA needs to stand more firmly with transgender women. 'Their motto is football for all. Put your money where your mouth is,' said Taylor-Gill. 'Put your lawyers in the situation where they can fight for football to be for all. 'We've created a safe space for trans women in our women's team that we really cherish and they should feel welcomed. This decision will just push more trans women out of football at a time when that's what they really need.' Outside the Haggerston Park football pitches where Goal Diggers train, members of the not-for-profit club, which was founded to make football more available and accessible to all women and non-binary people, signed flags and set off flares alongside supporters before setting off on their walk. It had initially been set up as a sponsored walk by Goal Diggers members to fundraise for the club and was to conclude with a letter opposing the FA's existing grassroots transgender women's policy, which will be overtaken by the ban when it comes into effect on 1 June. However, after the supreme court ruling and subsequent FA ban, the club decided to open the walk up to others, with members of other clubs and supporters of the campaign joining the walk to endorse the message in the letter that: 'Our governing body should not be adding more barriers to transgender people to be welcomed into the beautiful game.' Taylor-Gill said the decision of the FA 'goes completely against what Goal Diggers stand for and what the grassroots women's football community stands for' adding: 'We've had to fight so much just to be able to play. We, as a club, took us years to find a regular space for us to play football. We were playing football on sandy astro and in kids playgrounds at schools because men's teams had block bookings for all of the pitches. 'The FA have a history of banning women from football. In 1921 they banned women from playing on FA-affiliated pitches and they're doing the same now, but they're just taking aim at our transgender teammates who are already an incredibly vulnerable part of society as things stand in the UK. All they want to do is play football and at a time when it's really important that they have that community because of wider transphobia in society, it's being taken away from them. That's really, really sad.' Sammy Rees, a trans women player for Goal Diggers, described feeling 'hurt, annoyed and scared' following the ban. 'A lot of things that I never worried about in the past are now at the forefront of my mind,' she said. 'I'm stressed, not just about the FA decision but the whole supreme court ruling has changed how I view my life. It's changed how I interact with people, it's made me more conscious of how I present to other people and how people view me, which is something I never really struggled with before.' Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion Fiona McAnena, director of campaigns for Sex Matters, which describes itself as an organisation that campaigns for clarity about biological sex in law and life, said of the FA decision: 'The FA has not banned anyone from football. It has restated what it always knew: that women need their own teams and leagues. Playing mixed-sex football should be a choice, not something forced on women and girls because trans-identifying male players want to join women's teams.' 'As a trans woman that's played men's football, as much as the people that I played with were lovely and were accepting, I was incredibly uncomfortable and I know other trans people who have felt similarly,' said Rees, who has played football for more than 20 years. 'It's a completely different environment. When I come into women's football I'm met with nothing but love, guidance, acceptance and most importantly, respect.'
Daily Mail
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE England are plotting to have TWO camps for 2026 World Cup should they qualify - with Three Lions keen to stay at an acclimatisation area before moving on to a cooler base
England are considering using two base camps should they qualify for next year's World Cup, Mail Sport understands. Thomas Tuchel 's men could head to an 'acclimatisation' centre first to prepare for the possibility of gruelling heat and humidity, before switching headquarters to a cooler site for the rest of the tournament, which is being held in the United States, Canada and Mexico. It can be disclosed that officials are currently weighing up three options. The first, and currently most favoured, is to cross the Atlantic to a facility where players can prepare themselves for the intense environments they are likely to face. Ahead of the group stages they would then head to a camp which they would be likely to call home for the duration of the tournament. While North America is rich with state-of-the-art sporting facilities, finding somewhere which fits the total package may be tricky. Ideally, the Three Lions would find accommodation which is based over one storey, rather than in a traditional tower. The idea behind that is to ensure that Harry Kane and co remain in a convivial environment and that some do not feel isolated on separate floors. In Germany, England's base camp at a high-end rural golf resort was viewed as ideal and a similar facility across the Atlantic would be perfect. Another option would be to jet from city to city but this is not preferred. Location is also key. No final decision has been made and is unlikely until qualification is all-but confirmed. One option would be to be based on either the east or west coasts, but it is thought that a location closer to the centre of North America makes more sense. By taking such a route, it would mean that while there are no games around the corner, there are also no gruelling long journeys. According to FIFA, the draw will be staged 'in late 2025' which will then reveal the geographical zone were teams will play group matches. But work is already ongoing with little being left to chance as The Three Lions seek to finally end what will be a 70-year wait for major honours. Meanwhile, it has emerged that FA chief Mark Bullingham was paid £1.32m last year. Bullingham's earnings included a salary of £869,000 with the rest made up of a performance-related bonus. The FA say Bullingham's renumeration 'was benchmarked extensively and independently by PriceWaterhouse Coopers'. A spokeswoman added: 'It is performance based – Mark has led the business to meet and exceed robust and ambitious performance targets on and off the pitch and deliver our 2020-2024 strategic objectives. 'The FA has a turnover of over £500million - equivalent to a FTSE 250 company - and is responsible for governing the national sport. 'To attract and retain high calibre executives, the total remuneration package on offer needs to be competitive in the context of a leadership role in our market.'
Times
29-04-2025
- Business
- Times
Mark Bullingham: Bill Sweeney-style bonus nets FA chief £1.32m salary
The FA chief executive Mark Bullingham has become the highest-paid leader of a sports governing body after a £450,000 bonus took his income for last year to £1.32million. Bullingham's earnings for the year ending July 2024 included a salary of £869,000 as well as the long-term incentive plan (LTIP) bonus. The total eclipses that of the RFU's chief executive, Bill Sweeney, whose earnings of £1.1million — made up of a £358,000 LTIP bonus on top of an increased salary of £742,000 — provoked a storm in rugby union. The FA said last year's bonus reflected the organisation exceeding 'ambitious' performance targets over two years. That included financial targets as well as those on the pitch, with the England men's and women's teams reaching the finals of Euro 2024 and the 2023 World Cup respectively. Bullingham's pay the previous year was £850,000. The FA's highest-paid employee is the England head coach, Thomas Tuchel, who receives about £5million a year. The Premier League chief executive, Richard Masters, earned £1.98million in its most recent financial year, but Bullingham, 50, is the highest-paid executive at an English national sports governing body. The annual accounts, published on Companies House, state the FA 's remuneration committee 'considered financial achievements that saw the organisation exceed its [financial] target over the period and secure longer-term financial stability through England and FA Cup broadcast rights deals. 'Other achievements include senior men and women's tournament performance, the growth of the women's and girls' game and improvements to grassroots facilities were also recognised.' Another £550,000 in LTIPs was paid to two other unnamed members of the FA's senior management team, the accounts reveal. The FA's turnover rose to £551million from £482million, with £164million invested into the game. There is a new three-year LTIP plan in operation for August 2024 to July 2027 which has the potential to deliver similar or even greater bonuses. An FA spokeswoman said Bullingham's remuneration was 'benchmarked extensively and independently by PriceWaterhouse Coopers'. She added: 'It is performance-based — Mark has led the business to meet and exceed robust and ambitious performance targets on and off the pitch and deliver our 2020-2024 strategic objectives. 'The FA has a turnover of over £500million — equivalent to a FTSE 250 company — and is responsible for governing the national sport. To attract and retain high-calibre executives, the total remuneration package on offer needs to be competitive in the context of a leadership role in our market. 'In order to be competitive, the opportunity to earn a bonus and a long-term incentive plan are important — but payments are only made if performance targets are delivered or exceeded.' Bullingham joined the FA in 2016 from Fuse Sports and Entertainment, having previously been director of marketing for sailing's America's Cup. He took over as chief executive in 2019. Kieran Maguire, the football finance author and academic at the University of Liverpool, said: 'Mark Bullingham's bonus is presumably related to the FA's increased profitability and ability to run without third party debt. The success of the Lionesses and the men's team reaching the Euro 2024 final also appears to be a contributing factor.'
The Independent
29-04-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Football Association defends chief executive's salary after huge bonus payment
Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham earned £1.32m in the year ending July 31, 2024, an increase of over 55 per cent compared to the previous year. The figure was contained in the FA's annual accounts which were published on Tuesday, with The Times reporting that Bullingham is now the highest-paid chief executive of any UK sports governing body. Bullingham received £869,000 in salary, bonus and other benefits and a further £450,000 as part of an executive long-term incentive plan (LTIP) scheme. The FA recorded turnover of £551.2m for the year, up £69.4m on the previous year, and made a net profit of £49.7m. Bullingham's counterpart at the Rugby Football Union (RFU), Bill Sweeney, controversially received a total of £1.1m in the last financial year, with £358,000 of that as part of an LTIP. Sweeney survived a vote of no confidence at a special general meeting last month, amid criticism of perceived governance failures at the RFU. The FA's accounts stated that Bullingham's bonus and the payout under the LTIP scheme had been reviewed and agreed by its remuneration committee. An FA spokesperson said Bullingham's remuneration had been benchmarked extensively and independently by PriceWaterhouse Coopers. "It is performance based," the spokesperson added. "Mark has led the business to meet and exceed robust and ambitious performance targets on and off the pitch and deliver our 2020-2024 strategic objectives. The FA has a turnover of over £500m - equivalent to a FTSE 250 company - and is responsible for governing the national sport. "To attract and retain high calibre executives, the total remuneration package on offer needs to be competitive in the context of a leadership role in our market. In order to be competitive, the opportunity to earn a bonus and a long-term incentive plan are important - but payments are only made if performance targets are delivered or exceeded." The report also noted the "increasingly litigious" nature of football in a section addressing principal risks and uncertainties to the governing body. "The impact of these cases could have significant financial, reputational and operational implications for the FA and the broader football landscape," the report stated. Manchester City are currently involved in a challenge to the Premier League 's rules governing commercial deals with entities linked to a club's ownership, and are also awaiting the outcome of a hearing looking at more than 100 charges related to alleged breaches of the league's financial rules, which they strenuously deny.
