Kerry Petulla: Jersey FA appoint first woman board member

By Brent PilnickBBC Sport
Kerry Petulla
Kerry Petulla has been involved in women's football in Jersey for almost 20 years

Jersey's Football Association has appointed the first woman to its board in its 110-year history.

Kerry Petulla has been appointed as a vice-president of the JFA after their organisation's annual general meeting on Thursday.

"I'm delighted and quite excited," Petulla told BBC Sport.

"I hope my appointment is just the start of women really having more involvement in Jersey football generally," she added.

Jersey's women's team, who were led by Petulla's husband Simon, won their first-ever Island Games gold medal earlier in July and will play French opposition for the first time in August.

Kerry Petulla
Helped set up the first women's Muratti against Guernsey in 1997
Won half marathon team gold at the 2005 Island Games
Works in Jersey's finance industry

"The momentum that's come from the women winning gold is really bringing on women's football, as has the Women's World Cup.

"I've been involved in football for 20 years and seen the development of the women's game in the island from just two teams in a league to what we have now.

"It's still got more it can offer and more it can do.

"The JFA have worked really hard on getting the women more fixtures, and by having those fixtures we'll start to get more girls into the sport and that will helpfully attract more teams so we'll have a more competitive league."