Laura McAllister

Laura Jean McAllister CBE (born 1964) is a Welsh academic, former footballer and sports administrator. As a Wales women's national football team player, McAllister won 24 caps and served as team captain. She is currently Professor of Public Policy and the Governance of Wales at Cardiff University.She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to sport in Wales. She was a Board member of Stonewall from 2012 to 2015, and is currently a Board member of the Institute of Welsh Affairs.

McAllister is a graduate of the London School of Economics, where she completed a BSc. (Econ.) in Government, and at Cardiff University, where she completed a Ph.D. in Politics. She was Professor of Governance at the University of Liverpool Management School between 1998 and October 2016. She is a member of the Learned Society of Wales.

She was a member of the National Assembly for Wales Remuneration Board from 2014 to 2015, an advisor to the Independent Panel on Assembly Members Pay and Support from 2008 to 2009, and a member of the Richard Commission between 2002 and 2004.

She holds honorary degrees from Bangor University, Cardiff University, Cardiff Metropolitan University, and Swansea University.

McAllister did not play organised football until she joined Millwall Lionesses while studying at the London School of Economics. Upon her return to Wales she spent 12 years with Cardiff City. McAllister collected two Welsh Women's Cup winner's medals and won promotion into the FA Women's Premier League with Cardiff.

In 1992 McAllister was one of three female footballers who lobbied Football Association of Wales (FAW) secretary Alun Evans to grant recognition to women's football in Wales. An official team was put together and entered the 1995 UEFA Women's Championship qualification tournament. McAllister made her debut in Wales' second match, a 12–0 defeat by eventual winners Germany in Bielefeld. She won a total of 24 caps for Wales and was team captain on many occasions.

Professor McAllister was Chair of Sport Wales between 2010 and March 2016. In this role, she oversaw the most successful period ever for elite sport in Wales, with Wales winning a record number of medals in the Commonwealth Games 2014, the 2016 Rio Olympics and Paralympics. She was also a Board member of UK Sport between 2010 and 2016, when Team GB broke its medal-winning records. She is currently a Director of the Football Association of Wales Trust. McAllister was nominated by the Football Association of Wales for election as UEFA's female member of FIFA Council but was controversially prevented from standing.

McAllister was a Plaid Cymru Parliamentary candidate in 1987 and 1992. She is currently a political commentator for BBC on Welsh politics and elections.