Denise Richmond is the first woman to be elected to chair the Kent County Football Association. She will be the only female chair among 50 County Football Associations in England.

Denise was elected to the Kent FA Council in 2001, becoming a board member in 2017. Denise began her football volunteering when she became secretary of Greenwich Borough Football Club in 1988. She was then elected as a league representative of the Southern Counties East Football League (SCEFL) in the early ‘90s and has been elected annually as chairperson of this league for the past 10 years.

Her many roles have given Denise extensive experience of working alongside officers and elected representatives at the FA and Kent FA, as well as leading the Southern Counties East Football League to be part of the National League System.

Denise joins the Kent FA as Chair following a difficult period for grassroots football with COVID-19 suspending all competitive footballing activity for four months in March.   

She said: “I am honoured and very proud to have been elected as Chair of the Kent FA: a strong, well run and forward-looking football body. I will endeavour to continue the good work that my predecessors have done and ensure that the association and football grows and develops even though we are in, and facing, challenging times.

I look forward to working with my fellow Directors, along with our volunteers and members, to evolve and deliver a new “normal”. I would like to thank everyone in advance for their support as we make progress”

Denise Richmond will replace Philip Smith who leaves the role of Chair at Kent FA after three years.