A quiet revolution is underway in the corridors of English football power, and it's heading west across the Atlantic. Senior figures are increasingly abandoning the Football Association's traditional structure for the dynamic world of American multi-club ownership, creating what insiders describe as a worrying 'brain drain' at the heart of the English game.
The Great Migration: From Wembley to Wall Street
The comparison being made within football circles is stark: the FA represents a slow-moving 'tanker' struggling to change direction, while American multi-club operations are 'speedboats' - agile, ambitious, and offering executives unprecedented scope and resources.
Recent high-profile departures include former FA director of international relations David Cooper, who joined City Football Group, and other senior commercial and development specialists lured by American-backed projects offering greater autonomy and vision.
Why the FA Is Losing Its Best and Brightest
Several factors are driving this talent exodus:
- Bureaucratic frustration: The FA's complex committee structure and traditional hierarchy often stifle innovation
- Financial disparity: American investors offer compensation packages that dwarf FA salaries
- Strategic vision: Multi-club models provide executives with global platforms and clear growth trajectories
- Modern football's evolution: The game has become increasingly globalised, and the FA struggles to keep pace
The American Allure: More Than Just Money
While financial incentives are significant, sources suggest the appeal runs deeper. American ownership groups offer executives something the FA cannot: the chance to build football operations from the ground up, implement data-driven strategies without traditional constraints, and operate within organisations that value innovation over tradition.
'At the FA, you're often maintaining a legacy system,' one former executive revealed. 'In these new American structures, you're creating the future of football. The energy is completely different.'
What This Means for English Football
This talent drain has serious implications for the English game's future leadership. As experienced executives depart, the FA loses institutional knowledge and strategic thinking precisely when English football faces unprecedented challenges - from the evolving landscape of European competition to grassroots funding crises.
The concern is that English football's governing body risks becoming a development ground for talent that ultimately serves foreign ownership interests, potentially compromising the long-term health of the national game.
