Mark Pakula

While the team’s performances on the pitch have made history and forever changed the face of women’s football in England, Mark and his team are working behind the scenes to build on the success and make sure the future remains bright for the Lionesses. 

As Player Recruitment Lead at the Football Association (FA), Mark’s job is to lead the talent identification of future players for England women. The role involves creating a pathway for a players’ journey from under 14 to senior level and overseeing a national scouting workforce that provides comprehensive coverage of England eligible players at home and overseas. 

Mark, who has been in the role since September 2020, said: “Women’s football in England is booming now with over 78,000 players currently registered to play from 13 through to 19 years old. The youth development stage starts at under 14 and at that point it’s about identifying players who might have international potential and preparing them for the future. Once you get to under 17 and under 19 players experience European and world competitions and after under 23 the next step is the senior team. 

“It’s my job to identify potential players, deploy our talent reporter workforce and use that insight to understand where they fit in our talent eco-system. Once we have identified some new potential players, a lot of work then goes on behind the scenes to build up insight and background on the player before presenting them to coaches for consideration in future squads. It’s a really exciting job and I feel very lucky to be doing what I am.” 

The success of the Lionesses has undoubtedly helped transform women’s football in England, but it also brings with it greater scrutiny in the media and more expectation from the public. 

Mark said: “The quality of players in women’s football now is exceptional and I think they welcome the extra scrutiny and pressure, demanded upon them as professional athletes. Going back five years or so, a lot of players had another career outside of football, but now they are much more aware that football on its own can be a viable profession for them. The decision on who to select in squads is so challenging because there is so much talent out there. 

“I always say it is much harder to hide talent than to find it. If a player is good enough, they will find their own way to the top, even if it takes a little longer than others. Women’s football has taken off around the world and there are thousands of footballers overseas who don’t live in England who as a consequence hold multi-nationalities, so the talent pool we have to cover and the competition from other countries is bigger than ever.” 
  
Mark graduated from Keele in 2008 with a degree in business & politics and his degree has helped in his career at the FA, which started as an Elite Coach & Player Development Co-Ordinator in 2012. 

He said: “My degree had a huge impact on my previous roles at the FA, when I was managing multi-million-pound budgets and working with diverse funding partners, businesses and governments. I’d have really struggled without that underpinning knowledge that I got at Keele. My time at Keele had such a profound effect on me as a person, and I always look back with fond memories. I made friends for life there.”