Angela Platt has been appointed as the Irish FA’s first ever Director of Women’s Football.
Platt, an experienced sports administrator over a 20-year period spanning local government, sporting governing bodies and the voluntary sector, will leave her post as general manager at the Northern Cricket Union, where she has worked for four and a half years, to take up her new role at the Irish FA on 11 October.
“The Irish FA is an organisation I have admired for many years from working within the sports sector,” said Platt.
“I am passionate about football and developing the sporting capabilities of women and girls so it is something that captured my imagination instantly.
“The opportunity to help build on the brilliant work that has been undertaken by so many different people, over so many years, in shaping women’s football in Northern Ireland is something I’m really looking forward to.”
Platt previously worked for seven years at the Ulster Hockey Union. She has been chairperson of the Female Sports Forum for the past 10 years in a voluntary capacity and is a member of the Northern Ireland Sports Forum.
A former elite athlete, Platt played for the Ireland senior international hockey team as goalkeeper from 2000 to 2006, amassing 75 caps in the process, after playing hockey, football, athletics and badminton at youth international level.
She was awarded a BEM (British Empire Medal) in 2020 for her contribution to sports development in Northern Ireland.
Irish FA chief executive Patrick Nelson said: “I am delighted to welcome Angela to the Irish FA. She brings a wealth of expertise and experience and is a perfect fit for this new role.
“Angela will lead on all activities related to the development and management of women’s football in Northern Ireland and we look forward to her joining at such an exciting time for the women’s and girls’ game.”
Angela’s family is steeped in football. Her father David played for Larne and Glenavon, while her brother David represented Northern Ireland at youth international level. He played for Derry City and then Coleraine, who he then went on to manage.
Two of her uncles also played at senior level: Jim Platt, who played most notably for Middlesbrough and Northern Ireland, and John Platt in the Irish League for Cliftonville.
