Johanna Wood

CNZM
Born
Johanna Julene Wood

(1960-12-25) 25 December 1960 (age 63)[1]
New Zealand
Occupation(s)Member, FIFA Council

Johanna Julene Wood CNZM (born 25 December 1960) is a New Zealand sports administrator; she is president of New Zealand Football.

Biography

Wood was born and grew up in Wellington. She moved to Palmerston North to study German language at Massey University, and met her future husband, a dairy farmer. On graduating, she lived on the family dairy farm at Hiwinui while beginning her teaching career. Her last position before retiring was principal of Queen Elizabeth College in Palmerston North, a position she held for nine years.[2]

In 2010 Wood was elected chair of the Central Football Federation, covering Manawatū, Hawke’s Bay, and Taranaki.[2]

Wood was elected to the FIFA Council during the OFC Extraordinary Congress in Auckland on 9 March 2019, to serve from 2019 to 2023.[3] Wood is the first New Zealander elected to the FIFA Council since Charlie Dempsey, who served from 1996 to 2000.

She is also president of New Zealand Football, and the first woman to hold the position.[4] In 2022 she was re-elected for a second term.[5]

Awards and recognition

In 2021, Wood was awarded the Sport New Zealand Leadership Award at the Halberg Awards.[2] In the 2024 New Year Honours, Wood was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM), for services to football governance.[6]

References

  1. ^ FIFA.com. "FIFA Council Members - FIFA.com". www.fifa.com. Archived from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Marketing, CEDA (14 November 2021). "Johanna Wood". CEDA – Central Economic Development Agency. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Patel and Wood join FIFA Council". Oceania Football Confederation. 9 March 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  4. ^ Reilly, Ella (30 April 2019). "World Cup coming at right time for women, says New Zealand Football president". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  5. ^ "Johanna Wood re-elected as president of New Zealand Football". Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  6. ^ "New Year Honours 2024: the full list". The New Zealand Herald. 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.


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