Former Matilda Julie Murray has joined Southern Expansion’s foundation board.
The news comes as the club wait for Football Federation Australia’s announcement of two new A-League licences at the end of next month.
Southern have announced Murray, the first Australian female player to play professionally overseas, as one of five board members. Murray initially joined the club as a W-League ambassador in June last year.
Murray will be joined on the board by Bank of Queensland managing director and CEO Jon Sutton, Coca-Cola Amatil group central counsel Betty Ivanoff, the former chairman of the communications commission for the Sydney Olympic bid Greg Daniel and Moelis Australia managing director Ben Wong
They will sit alongside chairman Morris Iemma and two of the club’s inaugural members, one male and one female.
Southern CEO Chris Gardiner said one final position was being held for another female board member.
“We are in discussions to fill the last spot with an outstanding business woman who may not be able to commit to the role until January 2019 but we want the best, so we will hold the spot,” Gardiner said.
“One male and one female director will also be appointed from our members entity and we will announce how we will appoint the interim board and the first two interim directors once the license is obtained and the members’ entity established.
“A modern, growth-ready and agile football club that is capable to meet the needs of the communities it represents must be underpinned by solid foundations which includes a professional, diverse and high calibre board of directors.
“The board structure and appointments we are announcing today signals again to the FFA and the Southern area we will serve, the depth and extent of the Southern Expansion bid and our capability to deliver.
“Our board will be chaired by Morris Iemma and comprise eight other members, represented by an equal gender balance of appointees. Six of those eight will be appointed by our major shareholder and two by the members association we will establish.
“We believe we have the right governance and leadership to make the club we establish successful from day one.”
Southern, representing the St George district, Sutherland Shire and Football South Coast, put forward their final submission to the FFA to be part of the A-League’s expansion for the 2019-20 season in late August, with seven other bids also in the running.
The club plan to build a $50 million high-performance training and sports science centre at Lucas Heights which draws inspiration from La Liga giants Real Madrid’s training facility.