“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. The club welcomed Maggie Murphy as managing director earlier this season and in Ewers, Murphy and the head coach, Natalia Arroyo, Villa are a rarity in having those three specific roles all filled by women, even before mentioning executive board members such as the chief people officer, Lisa Bailey, the head of football administration, Sharon Barnhurst, and the general counsel, Victoria Wilkes.
Ewers, Murphy and Arroyo work together daily in regards to Villa’s women’s team, bringing together three different nationalities and three different career backgrounds. “That’s a real benefit, also having three women who have experience in women’s football,” says Ewers. “We have a really big responsibility in helping other women step into the space. If women see it’s possible at a big club like this, it’s huge.”
Arroyo, a former Barcelona player who worked as a journalist before moving into coaching, has been Villa’s head coach for just over a year. “I’m never looking at people or roles from the gender perspective,” she says. “I totally understand we still need to bring this topic on the table and realise this is still an unusual thing. But I’m just seeing a person that is capable is leading us. I celebrate that the club is so natural and brave.”
Murphy arrived at Villa with more than 15 years’ experience in the industry, including a spell as the chief executive of the former second-tier side Lewes FC. “When I was Googling her, I was impressed by her CV,” say Arroyo. “She’s amazing, she brings good energy, so it’s like: ‘Wow, definitely I can learn from her.’ She’s a massive boost for us. She’s doing some great things and she’s just trying to connect all the pieces.”
Murphy’s arrival followed the sale of the women’s team to Villa’s parent company, V Sports, officially making them a stand-alone entity. “Through this separation, it gives us a little bit more autonomy and authority to try and figure out what we want to do,” Murphy says. “In the six months that I’ve been here, the first thing we’ve done is try to reconnect with the fans and build that trust, so I’m probably most proud with our relationship with the fans.”
Villa have different ways of defining success. For example, those at the club are proud to have seen the young midfielder Lucia Kendall break into the England team this season. Off-pitch engagement matters too. On Sunday they are partnering with Level Playing Field to highlight experiences for disabled sports fans, and the starting XIs will be revealed through British Sign Language on the big screen. A guard of honour featuring inspirational women connected to the club will then welcome the players on to the pitch as part of an International Women’s Day networking event.
Men are also playing important roles in the setup, including the former Everton manager Brian Sørensen, who was appointed on Tuesday as the club’s new technical adviser. “I really like his way of seeing football,” says Arroyo. “We were always sharing how he trains and new ideas, how he approaches games. He will be adding massive value. He will be an incredible help for me in the day-by-day.”
Villa sit ninth in the Women’s Super League, seven points clear of last place and three points away from a place in the top half. Arroyo admits before Sunday’s visit of the leaders, Manchester City, that they need to “go back to basics” and be more solid defensively, with memories of conceding seven against Tottenham in their last game last month still fresh in the mind of all concerned.
Long term the plan is to keep growing, or as Ewers puts it, to “reach Everest”. She adds: “What’s Everest? Probably winning titles, winning the Champions League. And now I think we are at base camp. It takes a long time to get to base camp.
“We’ve worked really hard to get to this place and I would say we have everything now to really succeed and be successful. It will take some time and the long-term aim is to be that ambitious, competitive team.”
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