Everton Women's CEO Hannah Forshaw To Step Down After Brief Tenure Amid Structural Misalignment

The inherent organizational paradox of modern professional sports, particularly concerning newly acquired clubs undergoing radical structural evolution, is this: the necessary speed required to effect fundamental change—the sort of total remapping of strategic coordinates that sees a women’s team, historically playing in the shadows, transition into the venerable main stadium (Goodison Park, following the men’s team’s move to Hill Dickinson Stadium), while simultaneously becoming a separate commercial entity under Roundhouse Capital Holdings—often dictates a timeline so aggressive that the very leaders appointed to navigate it become, almost immediately, structurally obsolete.

It is a bewildering irony, then, that Hannah Forshaw, brought in as the CEO of Everton Women in May, commencing work on September 1, specifically ahead of the 2025-26 Women's Super League (WSL) season under the newly installed Friedkin Group (TFG) ownership—whose stated mission involved a necessary, sweeping upgrade of the women’s operation—will step down at the close of the current campaign.

Forshaw’s tenure, measuring just a few pivotal months in active duty, stands as a curious monument to the subtle, often conflicting definitions of "vision" within corporate football.

While sources confirm the exit is amicable—a critical, comforting detail, given the inherently high-stakes churn usually associated with executive departures—the rationale speaks to a precise, structural misalignment: the club's long-term direction and Forshaw’s interpretation of the exact scope of the role simply diverged.

This swift divergence, while potentially confusing from an external perspective, is not necessarily a failure of competence, but rather a compelling example of how difficult it is to synchronize the specific, highly detailed mechanisms of operational execution (such as managing the sensitive logistics of the senior women's full-time residency at Goodison, which was a primary early responsibility) with the grand, sweeping philosophical imperatives of a new ownership mandate.

One must seriously consider the challenge involved in integrating the experience of a former chief operating officer at The Jockey Club and former Liverpool vice president of operations into the unique, high-velocity transition mandated by TFG, who view this leadership structure as a key element in evolving the entire women's set-up.

The upcoming period, during which Forshaw will compassionately work with the club until the end of the season to ensure a smooth transition, is not merely about filling a vacated chair; it is an organizational moment of profound re-evaluation. Everton is now undertaking a fundamental review to determine the precise leadership architecture required for this new, standalone iteration of the women's club—a foundational separation made possible by the July sale of the women’s team to the parent company, Roundhouse Capital Holdings. The question is being meticulously scrutinized: Does this newly autonomous structure demand a CEO sitting atop the hierarchy, focused primarily on attracting minority investment and external growth, or would a Managing Director, potentially more focused on internal operations and day-to-day coordination beneath the existing structure, be the better fit?

It is a fascinating administrative pivot point, reflecting the unique complexity inherent in professionalizing women's sport while aligning with the substantial long-term ambitions of the new ownership. The commitment to finding the precise right fit, regardless of the brief duration of the initial attempt, suggests a hopeful persistence in building a truly sustainable and structurally robust future.