UEFA Women’s Football Committee chair Anne Rei will stand for the role of vice-president at next year’s general assembly, as the Estonian Football Association (EJL) confirmed a wide-ranging leadership reshuffle.
Rei will step down as EJL secretary general at the end of the year, a role she has held since autumn 2012. On 1 January, she will be succeeded by Mihkel Uiboleht, with top referee Karolin Kaivoja becoming deputy secretary general on 1 February.
Rei, who previously managed the successful organisation of the 2012 UEFA U19 Euros in Estonia, said the transition has been long in the making. “More than a year ago, I informed the association that I wanted to take on a larger international role, so this has been a planned development,” she explained. In addition to heading UEFA’s Women’s Football Committee, Rei also works as a UEFA and FIFA match delegate and, since this autumn, serves as deputy chair of FIFA’s Women’s National Teams Competitions Committee. Domestically, she sits on the Estonian Olympic Committee’s executive board.
Her tenure at the EJL included several landmark achievements: hosting the UEFA Super Cup in Tallinn during Estonia’s centenary celebrations, the completion of A. Le Coq Arena, more than 60% growth in player participation, the doubling of the federation’s budget, staging the UEFA U17 Women’s Euros, and launching a major club support programme.
“It was an exciting period with a fast pace of work, and looking back, several ‘impossible’ projects were successfully delivered,” Rei said.
“Women’s football is close to my heart, so it brings me particular joy that together with clubs we were able to more than double the number of girls playing football.”
EJL president Aivar Pohlak thanked Rei for her contribution: “My sincere thanks to Anne for her significant work in developing the federation and Estonian football as secretary general. I am very glad she accepted the proposal to join the board, and I will put forward her candidacy for vice-president at the next general assembly.”
Incoming secretary general Uiboleht has spent around two decades in various roles within the EJL, including development director, head of public and partnership relations, information officer and member of the disciplinary committee. He also has experience from organising the UEFA EURO in Poland, has served as Tartu Tammeka press officer, and worked as a journalist. He is also a member of the Estonian Olympic Committee’s representatives’ council. Outside football, he teaches at the University of Tartu’s Institute of Social Studies, where he completed a master’s degree in journalism and communication in 2024.
Kaivoja, currently working at the State Information and Communication Technology Centre, brings elite refereeing experience. She reached Estonia’s top flight as a player before becoming a FIFA-listed referee who officiated at both World Cup and European Championship final tournaments, as well as a UEFA Women’s Champions League final. She holds a bachelor’s degree in geoecology (2015) and a master’s degree in written translation (2018) from Tallinn University.
Source: https://soccernet.ee/artikkel/ejl-saab-jargmisest-aastast-uue-peasekretari-anne-rei-purgib-asepresidendiks
