The former CEO of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation is set to lead the working group tasked with resolving Football Federation Australia's governance gridlock.

AAP understands London-based lawyer Judith Griggs is in line to become the independent chair of the FFA congress review working group.

The eight-member panel has settled on Adelaide-born Griggs as their preferred candidate, with FIFA's review committee in the process of conducting an eligibility check.

It's expected the world governing body will approve her appointment in the near future.

Griggs appears a shrewd choice, given her level of acumen in the sports business industry and her knowledge of Australian and international sport.

Griggs has 25 years of experience in motor sport, having worked for Bernie Ecclestone at the Formula One headquarters in London for five years before she was appointed CEO of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation when the race was moved to Melbourne.

Despite fierce protests from local residents in Albert Park, Griggs helped establish the Grand Prix as one of the most popular events on the F1calendar.

She then moved back to Europe to work for Allsports Management, the company responsible for most of F1's trackside advertising and other commercial interests.

Griggs now runs London-based consultancy Sports Rights Management, which she founded in 2014, and sits on the board of Tourism South Australia.

According to FIFA's terms of reference for the FFA working group, the independent chairperson must have "no official function within and no business relationship" with FFA or any of its members or stakeholders, and also have a strong track record in legal and governance issues, plus experience in mediation and negotiation.

Griggs ticks all of those boxes.

If installed as chairwoman, Griggs will have the power to take "all necessary steps" to ensure the working group sticks to the mandate laid down by FIFA, which includes discussions around an alternative governance model for the A-League and ways to improve representation for women.

She would also become the only woman formally involved in the reform process, with the other members of the working group - from the A-League clubs, state federations, PFA and FFA board - all male.

The panel has just two months to submit its proposal to FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation by the July 31 deadline.

https://au.sports.yahoo.com/amphtml/former-grand-prix-ceo-lead-ffa-reform-041938231--spt.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=tw&__twitter_impression=true

Its a start.

NOW WHAT HAPPENS

16,983Km .... that’s how far you have to go to escape Lowy’s reach 😂

But this looks a good choice.

we learn how to lower our voice 

They get together and talk about some stuff and things. Then they get together and talk about things and stuff. They keep doing that until they can agree on how the congress should be formed among, governance of the HAL, female representation, etc...

Finally a decision has been made. Let the countdown begin. July 31st can't come soon enough.

Never had anything to do with Football as far as I can see (or any real sport)

Doesn't fill me with confidence TBH

There's going to be howls of derision when the penny drops that there will not be a single mention of P&R or salary caps in two months of talks.

Baby steps

Football is worse for the lack of p&r. You can justify the current state anyway you want.

lol but true

To me neither the A-L clubs, FFA nor the PFA want P & R within the foreseeable future we need the state Feds to stop an MLS type structure being established. 

blows my mind that that fifa didnt have to step in on this one.

is this actually progress? it feels like the first time the ffa have conceded anything in this whole process.  she must be connected to the lowys somehow.

For anyone with an interest in it and has a mega amount of time this is a link from a USA Football forum on P & R.

Its mega to the power of mega size just over two years old and still getting many daily posts... it will show the arguments we have to beat to get P & R.

Enjoy nay this is hard 15.5 k posts over two years and growing by the day..

http://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/the-all-encompassing-pro-rel-thread-on-soccer-in-the-usa.2029961

Is the CRWG working on structure of football?  I don't see it in the mandate they were given by FIFA.  Their main purpose is to work on widening the Congress.  Separate issues are a pathway to a new governance structure for the A-League, the inclusion of women at all levels in the governance of football, the independence of the board etc.

I understand that but the structure of new board will determine how they move in the future...

I don't want P & R rushed and introduced too early, but I don't want the system so difficult we finish up with an MLS type model...

I have no idea what you are on about.  As usual.

I am not justifying anything.  I am just greatly amused by the ridiculous focus on something that is totally irrelevant until you have enough professional teams to not only need it, but to actually make it possible.  

IF somebody could ever explain to me how you could implement P&R without producing two or three times the number of professional footballers playing in this country for ready cash, I would be more than a little fascinated.  I'm not talking about good players or anything like that. Just hacks with their hand out for pizza money will do.  Money, money, money makes the world go round. 

The 442 cheer squad are up for giving it all to the existing leeches (sorry A League Clubs) and knowing that their big plan is to suck money straight from the bank accounts of any new aspirants to the league, followed by much pilfering of the greater game......well yeah.  Good luck with P&R because the line for expansion will get short quickly if that shit comes to pass.

I want a second division.  I want it to be made up of real clubs (in the main anyway).  When, and only when you can solve that glaring problem, can you start work on the intricacies of integration with the glee League that we have now.  The hilarious thing is that the only guy with clout that I've heard come out and say publicly that we should have a second division and future P&R is Stephen Fuckn Lowy.  Weird huh?

what connection does frank lowy have to f1 or bernie ecclestone?

He drives a car?

Baby steps people.

Let's give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she is independent? F1 experience doesn't equate to football but it could have been worse.

She’s good mates with Ron Walker obviously from her F1 days. And Mr. Ron Walker is good mates with a certain F Lowy, just saying!
Cue the conspiracy theories...
Did anyone really think FIFA was gonna sort this mess???

whatever links there are to lowy would be through the late ron walker

But P&R and all the other issues in the game isn't what the working group is established for. Its been established purely to work out the amount of seats in the new congress.

Once the new congress is in place, then the other issues get looked at by that congress. Best we can hope for is NPL clubs to get a seat at the congress and they will be able to push 2nd div, P&R etc.

Ron Walker was on the original ffa board chaired by Frank Lowy in 2005. So who knows if she has any influence from the Lowys.

Err....that's what I was saying.  I must be getting way too subtle.

That's more like it.

fifa hasn't approved the chair yet have they?  it's an option put forward by all members of the RWG. the first step.

I just cannot see the ffa nominating or being ok with anyone that they don't have some sway over.  there is no conspiracy.  the lowy family want control of the game. they have hoarded the ffa. they will do anything to keep it.  it just plainly obvious.  

Irrelevant in the working group as the chair is a neutral party (a mediator) if you like. They don't need to know anything about football, the political in fighting (which affects football at all levels in Australia) etc. etc. all their role will be is to ensure everyone is heard, everyone agrees on an outcome ... that is their purpose. The best outcome would be that none of the parties are happy with the outcome ... that means a compromise was reached.

This is NOT a P/R discussion thread ... the rhetoric around that discussion can be had on at least twenty other current threads at the moment. Please don't derail this into a P/R thread ... the issue is discussed ad nausea on here, and we simply go around in circles for 20 odd pages before a new thread starts and the cycle repeats. As detailed the working group is NOT about P/R, so please go else where to discuss such matters.