After you,” Marisa Ewers says, as we walk through a doorway on the ground floor of Aston Villa Women’s fresh-looking dedicated women’s facilities at the club’s Bodymoor Heath training ground. It soon becomes clear that Ewers is hoping to open doors figuratively as well as literally by inspiring other female players to follow her and embark on a career in the boardroom.

The former midfielder ended her career at Villa in 2022 and has progressed to become the club’s director of women’s football. As they prepare to dedicate Sunday’s home league game against Manchester City to International Women’s Day, it is noticeable that Ewers is alongside several other women in senior leadership roles at Villa.

Read more at: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/mar/14/a-big-responsibility-aston-villa-womens-female-leadership-look-to-blaze-a-trail