Heather Reid loses spot on Football Australia board in narrow vote
Football Australia's former deputy chair Heather Reid has been voted off the governing body's board of directors after an extraordinary general meeting on Friday that was called to decide her future.
Sources with knowledge of the outcome have confirmed that Reid went down by an extremely narrow margin, with several members of the FA congress choosing to abstain from the ballot.
Heather Reid’s tenure on the board of Football Australia is over.Credit:Getty
The EGM was initiated by Football NSW, who claimed that Reid had spread damaging communication last year about their board nominee Stefan Kamasz in an effort to interfere with his election - allegations that Reid strongly denied.
Kamasz was a strident critic of the FA board’s handling of the controversial sacking of ex-Matildas coach Alen Stajcic in early 2019 - a saga in which Reid, one of the pioneers of the women’s game in Australia, was heavily implicated.
Serving as the deputy to FA chairman Chris Nikou at the time, Reid made a public apology to Stajcic for “damage, distress and hurt” she may have caused the coach after she made public intimations that he was fired because of untoward conduct.
Reid was elected to the FA board at the 2018 AGM - when former chairman Steven Lowy left his post - and her term was due to expire in November this year.
The outcome leaves a vacancy on the federation’s board but it is not expected to be filled until the next AGM.
Reid is expected to provide a statement on Friday to address her removal, while Football Australia is yet to officially confirm the result of the EGM.
More to come
Vince is a sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.