Dr Michele Cox is a former Football Fern - the New Zealand Women's National Football team - with six published books to date. The Sammy Football Trilogy series draws on Michele's experiences growing up playing football - a male dominated sport. Michele has worked for FIFA, UEFA, NZ Football, NZ Cricket and Hockey NZ. She has been a board member for Paralympics New Zealand, Sport Auckland and YMCA Auckland. Between 2005 and 2011, Michele was a member of the FIFA Committee for Women's Football and the Women's World Cup, and from 2019 - 2022 was Chief Executive for the NZ Football Foundation.