James Kendall

James joined The FA in September 2019. He is responsible for grassroots football which includes our work in developing the game across male, female and disability football; harnessing the club network and facility infrastructure across the country; working closely with the County FA’s to support delivery of football in their county’s; and ensuring The FA’s digital ecosystem is developed to provide for the administrative needs of the game.

James has spent nearly 25 years in the sports industry working in a number of senior strategy and commercial roles. Prior to joining The FA, he worked in two stints for Portas Consulting, a global management consultancy dedicated to sport and physical activity, where he was the Partner responsible for its London office and European business. During this time he led multiple projects for International Federations, National Governing Bodies and corporate businesses - principally around participation and social impact - including for The FA and UEFA.

Between his times at Portas, he was Commercial Director at Harlequins Rugby Club and has previously worked for BSkyB, Volvo Cars and the Volvo Ocean Race.