Interview: Sarah Guilfoyle, England football’s youngest CEO

At just 27, Sarah Guilfoyle became the youngest CEO in English football — a role shaped by years spent learning the game from the inside out. Now leading Wigan Athletic, her journey reflects a career built through hands-on experience, resilience and a deep understanding of how football clubs really operate.

We spoke to Sarah to learn about her incredible journey, from her first steps in football all the way to the boardroom, the realities of leading a club through change, and the lessons she’s learned along the way. It’s an honest insight into modern football leadership — and what it takes to build a career behind the scenes in the game.

Your journey to becoming the youngest CEO in English football is remarkable. Can you talk us through your path into the industry and the key experiences that shaped your early career?

In January 2013, when I was in year 10 (aged 15) I undertook two-week work placement at Accrington Stanley, the team I had grown up supporting. They put on a great programme, and I did a little bit of everything; helping in the club shop, helping the kit man and learning about the operations of the club. At the conclusion of the two weeks, I must have made myself incredibly useful as I ended up working all of that season’s remaining home fixtures. This snowballed into working full time on a voluntary basis during half terms and summer holidays and using my early finish from school on a Friday to work behind reception.

As such, when I finished school in July 2014, I was offered the opportunity full time as Academy Secretary. This role involved responsibly for Academy match operations and player registrations. The Club Secretary also kindly involved me in first team player registrations giving me a fantastic insight. As the off-field team at Accrington was very small, I had the opportunity to experience many different departments such as media, hospitality and commercial which I believe gave me an excellent grounding for my career to follow.

“Working across so many different departments at a young age gave me the grounding I needed for the career that followed.”

In August 2015, I left Accrington and moved into a commercial role at Tranmere Rovers. Whilst I enjoyed the role, I was commuting 100 miles a day and after a year, the opportunity to work closer to home and back in a football operations/player registrations came available. Therefore, in September 2016, I joined Wigan Athletic.

Initially my role was Academy Secretary which quickly morphed into an Assistant Club Secretary type role. In February 2020, I took over from my boss as Head of Football Administration a role I held for five years. However, during those five years we survived the Covid-19 pandemic, 9 months in administration and a further financial crisis in the summer of 2023. These series of events were extremely character building and at a young age, I had to step up and become a senior member of staff and a leader on many occasions.

My efforts were rewarded in January 2025 when the ownership group asked me to become the Managing Director of the Club. This was a role I’d always aspired to take up since I had my first taste of the industry.

Stepping into the CEO role at just 27 — and at a club navigating major transition — is a huge responsibility. What were your first priorities, and how did you approach leading people with far more years of experience than you?

Being an internal promotion was a huge advantage coming into the role. I essentially got straight down to work as I needn’t get to know staff or conduct due diligence on the existing operations. My first few weeks consisted of an FA Cup Fourth Round tie at home to Premier League Fulham, looking at 2025/2026 season tickets, a consultation with supporters around the atmosphere in the Stadium’s least populus South Stand and within a few weeks as a board we made a decision to move on the previous first team Manager so recruitment for a new Head Coach was underway.

In terms of leading people, I already had a lot of experience in the industry, vast experience of crisis management and was one of the most experienced executives at the Club so I didn’t envisage any issues. Sir Matt Busby’s “If you’re good enough, you’re old enough” is incredibly apt for my situation. I was also a respected member of staff which meant a lot of staff were extremely happy to hear of my appointment. Having such a good team of people around me who were incredibly supportive made the transition easier.

Wigan Athletic has faced a challenging period in recent years. What have those moments taught you about leadership, resilience, and building trust across the organisation?

Above everything else, communication is the most vital skill. I had witnessed situations whereby a lack of communication led to rumours and whispers both internally and externally. It creates an unhealthy and unstable atmosphere. I therefore am incredibly open, transparent and honest with staff, and supporters where appropriate, without breaching the realms of confidentiality.

“A lack of communication creates uncertainty and instability; transparency brings people together and keeps them invested in the journey.”

Good communication and honesty build the trust and loyalty of those who surround you and is an important aspect of leading people. If you keep those around you in the loop and involved, they are far more likely to be invested in your vision and help with implementation; they feel truly part of the journey.

Running a modern football club involves juggling the sporting, commercial and community sides of the organisation. What does that balance look like day-to-day, and where do you see the biggest opportunities for innovation or growth?

Trying to balance all priorities of a football club can feel like spinning multiple plates at once. The honest answer is some aspects will require more of my attention at different times but each requires regular maintenance. For example, during a transfer window, I’ll spend more time at the training ground but during the off season, the priority will be focussed on season ticket sales, memberships and kits for the upcoming season.

Each week can vary wildly depending on a number of factors, but that’s also my favourite part of the industry. I like to always have a challenge in front of me and variety, therefore a normal 9am to 5pm role where each week involves the same monotonous tasks wouldn’t be for me!

As a young female leader in football, how would you describe your experience so far, and what changes would you like to see to make leadership pathways more accessible for women in the game?

My experiences of the industry have been paved by those before me and made my journey easier. For example, our Chair Brenda Spencer, was the first female Chief Executive in 1995 and she fought for women to be allowed in boardrooms. Whilst I don’t believe the prejudice is as obviously extreme these days, there are things which need to improve and it’s my responsibility to advocate for those in the generations that follow.

I sit in meetings of circa 200 executives and directors from clubs but can be one of only a handful of women. Any industry needs diversity to grow and consider all perspectives, and sport/football should be no different. Women are not lacking the skill sets required for senior leadership roles, but a lack of self-confidence can inhibit them. That’s why organisations such as Women in Football are so important.

I’m currently part of a leadership programme that WIF are piloting with the EFL and its member clubs and that’s been invaluable to me and a lot of the other women on the course. I’m the first of the group to make the jump to board level, however, I can see how much the group has grown in the short time we’ve been together and many more will follow into boardrooms, no doubt. More efforts like this to support, empower and upskill is necessary to create a better gender balance at board level.

Many young professionals look at your career and wonder how to break into club operations or leadership roles. What practical advice would you give those starting out who want to follow a similar path?

I was asked recently what advice I would give to a 15-year-old Sarah and this was my reply: You have to back yourself. You have to work hard. No-one’s going to give anything to you on a plate. But that hard work is so worth it. I’ve had experiences where I thought ‘I’m not going to get through this.’ But when you do get through the other side, you’re really proud.

Opportunities arise by putting yourself out there. I worked incredibly hard for 18 months before getting my first paid role. Often, you’ll have to make sacrifice, but I always knew it would be worth it in the end.

“You have to back yourself. You have to work hard. No-one’s going to give anything to you on a plate — but that hard work is so worth it.”

Looking ahead, what excites you most about the future of Wigan Athletic and the wider football industry?

Wigan Athletic has reached the highest of highs in recent history; being a member of the Premier League, winning a major trophy and participating in European competition. Following a period of turmoil, we’re steadily building to get ourselves back to the Championship and hopefully ready to challenge back at the highest level in the future. Being part of that project and putting the building blocks in place is incredibly exciting.

There are also plenty of sub-projects as part of that such as building our junior fanbase via our ‘From Classroom to Kick-off’ schools initiative, an upcoming project to engage with grassroots teams across the North West and, engaging with different supporter groups to improve their experience and the atmosphere in the stadium.

There’s so much scope for us to build on and grow the club for the future.

In respect of the wider industry, there is a lot going on at the moment around the Independent Regulator for Football (IFR), discussions around financial redistribution and important decisions around televised fixtures in the future in addition to the growth of technology and AI and what this can bring to the future of the industry. There’s certainly a lot of plates to continue spinning!

Many thanks to Sarah for taking the time to speak with Global Sports for this interview.