A leading human rights charity has demanded leaders in football "bring the sport into the 21st century" after it was a claimed women are not welcome in the boardroom of a top British club.
In an exclusive interview with BusinessLive, League One side Tranmere Rovers' chief executive Nicola Palios said she was aware of a club in the league where the sexist restriction is known among inner circles.
Despite the club not being named by Ms Palios, two charities have now spoken out in response to her claims.
Last week, BusinessLive also revealed that plans for a new Tranmere Rovers stadium are 'on the 'drawing board'.
Niki Kandirikirira, Director of Programmes at Equality Now, a charity working for the protection and promotion of the human rights of women and girls around the world, said football must provide a "safe, supportive environment" for women to participate in.
She told BusinessLive: "This means combatting sexism in whatever form it takes – including putting an immediate stop to gender discrimination in the boardroom.
"The incredible growth in popularity of women’s football and the huge success of players like US champion Megan Rapinoe demonstrate the fantastic contribution women can and are making, such as inspiring a new generation of girls to get involved.
"It feels like a no-brainer that women should be fully integrated into the business side of the sport.
"Football leadership should be doing everything possible to create a level playing field for women involved in all aspects of the industry and governing bodies need to ensure that football is brought into the 21st century by guaranteeing equal opportunities for females both on and off the pitch."
In the interview published on Monday, Ms Palios spoke about diversity in football, finances and how she and husband Mark turned the club's fortunes around.
She said that while the sport has seen various improvements in terms of diversity, problems still remain.
And Ms Palios, 52, said that despite years of campaigning by equality groups such as Women in Football, shockingly, there is still a British football club where women “still aren’t welcome in the boardroom”.
She wouldn’t say exactly which club it was, only that they play in the English Football League.
Thankfully, Nicola said she’s not experienced any open sexism since she and husband Mark took over the club in August 2014.
She said: “By and large, it hasn’t been an issue for me - even though I expected it to be an issue when I came here.
"You expect to get a certain amount of ‘what do you know about football? You’re a woman’, but I’ve never had any type of comment like that made to me, which I’m pleasantly surprised about."
Responding to Ms Palios' comments, Jane Purdon, CEO of Women in Football, said: "Tremendous progress has been made in recent years in terms of women taking up positions in football from coaching to physio to chief executive.
"There is an increased awareness about the value of a diverse workforce, and boardroom, and it is vital that opportunities are there for girls and women to follow the career path of their choice.
"Whether it is in football or another industry, if that pathway leads to the boardroom the door should be open."
