Polly Handford

Polly Handford has been an English qualified lawyer for 25 years, half of which has been working in-house within sport. She joined the English FA in 2014 and, since 2016, has been its legal and governance director.

She is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the legal function for the FA – both the commercial and the regulatory side – as well as the game governance function which includes integrity (including betting, match fixing and anti-doping), safeguarding case management, and all aspects of FA discipline both on and off-field.

Polly previously worked for the Rugby Football Union dealing with a wide range of legal and governance issues including discipline and anti-doping. Prior to moving in-house she was a partner at a law firm based in London.

She has been a member of the UEFA Appeals Body since 2018. She is also a director on the Board of the British Association for Sport and Law and is a member of both FIFA’s Disciplinary Body.