Interviews to decide which of the 18 first-class counties will host professional women’s teams from 2025 will begin next week at Lord’s and will involve Kelly Simmons, former director of the women’s professional game at the Football Association, and Maggie Murphy, the chief executive of Lewes FC, the Guardian can reveal.
The tender process to host one of the eight new professional “Tier 1” women’s teams closed on Monday. Applications will now be judged by a panel of Ebony Rainford-Brent and Neil Snowball from the England and Wales Cricket Board, plus Murphy and Simmons. Bringing in external people to judge bids is highly unusual for the ECB, but it is felt that involving two heavyweights in women’s football will add enhanced scrutiny and credibility to the process. Lewes are the only football club in the world to offer equal pay to men and women players.
