Women in Football board member Monique Choudhuri believes that there is 'no excuse' for organisations such as FIFA to ignore their call for gender inclusivity in sport.

WIF recently launched the 'Open Doors Agenda', which calls on FIFA and the wider game to make football fully gender inclusive with a six-point plan in place to help organisations achieve change.

Choudhuri, who previously sat on Brentford FC's board for six years, revealed that the new open-door policy was put in place as a response to the ongoing fallout of the Spanish football federation after Luis Rubiales kissed player Jenni Hermoso on the lips following the World Cup final.

New data supporting the need for change also stems from WIF's recent 2023 survey, stating how 82 per cent of women have experienced discrimination in the workplace.

And with the framework now in place, Choudhuri stated that there is no reason why organisations should not be creating an inclusive workplace to make women in football feel safe.

"WIF made the decision to put this framework in place because we said, 'enough is enough'," she said.

"It's almost like a football MeToo movement, with people agreeing that there is an imperative need for change in the sport.

"We're trying to spotlight some of the structural inequalities that are going on in football whilst backing this up with our data.

"We want women to feel safe and feel part of the conversation and this framework allows the women's voice to be taken seriously and for the women's voice to be one of those senior roles.

"We're asking these proposals to be mandatory, and we know it will take time and will be an evolution not a revolution.

"WIF are saying that we can be one of the resources that can help organisations make this change, there is no excuse.

"If we don't do this now, then we will be here in two years with even worse problems than the Jenni Hermoso case."

WIF's six-point plan focuses on several areas in which FIFA and governing bodies are urged to put in place to create a more gender-inclusive workplace, including the target of at least 30 per cent of members in senior decision-making bodies to be women and creating a safe environment for women in those positions.

Whilst working within the sporting world, Choudhuri noted the important distinction of the misogyny she faced as a woman in a senior role.

"When you work on a board as a woman, you have to work with the undercurrent things that may not be as obvious as unintentional misogyny," she added.

"There's intentional behaviour and the impact that has and non-intentional behaviour and the impact that has.

"These are the things people say, not out of malice or poor intent, but that still has an impact on you as a woman.

"And on a board, that was the biggest thing I had to face.

"And the minute they realise it's wrong, it's always the woman who has to change her position and never the man."

As WIF take charge in urging organisations and governing bodies to create an inclusive and diverse workforce for women to thrive in, Choudhuri is also keen to stress the importance of continued support for colleagues.

"I am lucky in that when I was on that board at Brentford, I was given a voice," she said.

"They backed me, and they protected me when I called for a more diverse board.

"And I said that once we had that diverse board, it was then our job to protect it and make people feel safe.

"This framework from WIF creates the foundation to create that diverse workplace and I hope governing bodies feel inspired to put these measures in place."