England Golf is thrilled to announce that Debbie Richards has accepted the invitation to become the President-Elect in 2025, ascending to the presidency in 2026.
This remarkable 64-year-old will officially take on the role of President-Elect in April 2025, following the annual general meeting.
Debbie’s journey in golf began in her teenage years. At just 16, she showcased her talent by playing for Wales in the Junior Home Internationals.
At 19, she moved to London and joined the Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club. She remained there until 2000 when she joined Burhill.
Additionally, she has been a proud member of Rye for over two decades and has claimed the club champion title at all three clubs.
Her impressive resume includes playing County golf for Surrey at various levels, including the 1st and 2nd teams, and she continues to compete in the senior team.
At 50, Debbie began participating in senior events both domestically and internationally.
In 2014, she was selected for the England Senior Team, contributing to their gold medal win at the European Team Championships.
Debbie’s leadership shone through when she was appointed Captain of the England Senior Team in 2017, a position she held for three years.
Under her captaincy, the team secured gold at the 2019 European Team Championships, earning her the 2019 England Golf Volunteer of the Year award.
In 2021, she captained the Southern Vets Golfing Association, a role she still holds while representing Burhill in various competitions.
Professionally, Debbie’s career began at British Airways in sales before she transitioned to a sports hospitality company, organizing golf, rugby, and tennis events.
Speaking of her appointment, she said: “I am over the moon to have been asked to be England Golf President-Elect – it’s such an amazing honour to have been considered.
Looking at the calibre of my predecessors as Lady Presidents, I feel deeply honoured to be following in their footsteps.
“It’s exciting. I am looking forward to building on all the great work the organisation has been doing in making golf more inclusive and accessible, and showcasing that golf is not off-limits to anyone.
It is crucial that we get that message across and it’s a passion of mine to get more people into the game.
“As a junior golfer growing up, there were some barriers in terms of things like not being able to play till after 4 pm at the weekend, and having to let members through, but these barriers have been removed over the years.
We have come a long way since then but there is still work to be done to introduce golf to women, youngsters and people from various backgrounds who mightn’t have given the sport a go before.”
