It’s an emotional end to the 2023/24 season as we say goodbye to our football development manager, Sarah Wood, who leaves the Sheffield and Hallamshire County FA after seven years.

After 16 years working in football, Sarah is embarking on a new challenge over the border in West Yorkshire to take on the role of development manager at the Yorkshire Sport Foundation.

Before joining us, she was the football development manager at Oxfordshire FA. Sheffield and Hallamshire has been her adopted home since 2017 and she’s had a significant contribution to grassroots football during her time here.

There aren’t many areas of the game that she hasn’t overseen. She’s been instrumental in coach education, referee development, club and league development, affiliation, insurance, and county cups.

As football development manager, Sarah has been a key player in the strategic direction to our football development team and the 2024-28 business strategy.

For the last three years, she has also led on facility investment, achieving over £14 million investment into new and existing grassroots football facilities in our region.

Among her proudest achievements are delivering a Women’s Euro Legacy Programme across Sheffield and Rotherham, securing over £200,000 to support women’s recreational football, and piloting our first Wildcats programme to get more girls into football.

Outside of work, she’s an advocate for the women’s game as both a player and committee member of Wathletico women’s recreational football team.

Reflecting on her time at the County FA, Sarah said: “It’s bittersweet for me. I want to express my gratitude to all my colleagues and everybody at the County FA. It’s been an absolute pleasure working alongside such a fantastic team. From tackling challenges together to celebrating victories, it’s been a journey filled with unforgettable moments.”

Everyone at the Sheffield and Hallamshire County FA would like to wish Sarah the very best of luck in her new role and say a huge thank you for her outstanding commitment and service to football.