HEATHER RABBATTS yesterday slammed the Football Association due to the lack of female coaches and women sitting on club boards.

Rabbatts was appointed to the FA board in 2012 but is still the only woman, with the other 11 being men.

Hearts owner Ann Budge, West Ham vice-chair Karren Brady and Hibs chief executive Leeann Dempster are some of the more high-profile women that work at board level, while there are hardly any top women managers and coaches, Hope Powell being the exception.

With the Football League implementing a version of the Rooney Rule last week, attention is starting to turn towards getting more women involved in football.

There are currently six black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) managers in the Football League, out of a possible 72, with the representation of women disgracefully lower.

“In terms of working with women’s coaches there is certainly more for us to do,” said Rabbatts.

“There’s some work we’re just trying to think about on how best to support women coaches and talking with them about how they might develop their own professional careers going forward.

“Clearly, the priority at the moment is to try to ensure that we can secure more black and ethnic minority managers and coaches, both in the FA and across the clubs.

“But it’s a really important area and I think it’s something we probably need to do more in.”

Football has long been one of the worst offenders in offering equal opportunities and Rabbatts became the FA’s first female board member, after 150 years, when she was appointed in 2012.

Sports governing bodies face funding cuts if they fail to meet UK Sport and Sport England’s targets of one in four female board members by 2017.

“It’s a process of evolution and not revolution,” Rabbatts said.

“There is the issue for all sports governing bodies to ensure that we improve diversity, whether we’re talking issues of race or gender or disability.

“We have within the FA a programme of developing future women’s leaders, not only to participate within the FA but also across other sporting bodies.

“I am confident we will continue to make progress.”