Exclusionary Power and Women's Experiences of Working at the Football Association

This chapter adopts Rao, Stuart, and Kelleher (1999) concept of exclusionary power to understanding women's experiences of working at the Football Association (FA) which explores the ways in which power operates in multiple intersecting forms through positional power, agenda-setting power, hidden power, power of dialogue and power of conflict (Rao et al., 1999). Our research draws on interviews with women who currently or have previously worked at the English Football Association (FA). Through the framework of exclusionary power, we explore the way forms of power intersect to influence women's experiences of working within the organisation. Our research expands current knowledge of gender and gender relations in sport governance in the UK through vocalising the experiences of women working within the FA and theorising the ways in which women experience exclusionary power through intersecting, multiple and repeated everyday practices.