On the Periphery: Examining Women’s Exclusion From Core Leadership Roles in the “Extremely Gendered” Organization of Men’s Club Football in England

In this article, we frame men’s club football as an “extremely gendered” organization to explain the underrepresentation of women leaders within industry. By analyzing women’s leadership work over a 30-year period, find that inclusion has been confined limited number occupational areas. These areas are removed, in terms influence and proximity, from male players playing football. findings reveal gendered substructure maintains masculine dominance core roles relegates position peripheral roles. Through discourse analysis gender pay gap reports, show clubs legitimize by naturalizing at organizational core. significant because they demonstrate clubs, masculinity-conferring organizations, have excluded maintain their character while superficially accepting into do not challenge association with hegemonic masculinity. Therefore, change may be possible only if granted greater access Here, offer new theoretical framework for organizations can applied other sporting male-dominated contexts analyze