Women's football in England is about to find itself in uncharted territory and the Football Association (FA) is being warned that no more mistakes can be made.
The sorry saga surrounding the Mark Sampson sacking will see its ability to govern examined by a House of Commons select committee on Wednesday (Oct. 18); how the governing body deals with issues of bullying, racism, whistleblowing, safeguarding, employment vetting, and internal inquiry procedures, are all likely to be discussed.
Within weeks the FA will also have its first solid indications of how fruitful its push toward a full-time, professional league is likely to be; there is a Nov. 10 deadline for club licence applications at the top of a restructured game which is due to launch next year.
The fact that both issues gained widespread attention at the same time -- the announcement for the latter came in the middle of the furore around former England manager Sampson -- has been dismissed by the FA as coincidental, but the combination appears to have left the governing body at a watershed moment.
"They need to get it right now," Roisin Wood, chief executive of anti-discrimination group Kick It Out, which has supported Chelsea striker Eni Aluko in her claims of racism and bullying claim against Sampson, told ESPN FC.
"There has to be real transparency around this case, a real look at the whistleblowing culture and really strong things in place to let players come forward, share what they think and not have that in any way impact their careers.
"What are the next steps for the FA? What are the next steps for the women's game? There are a lot of people interested in that.
"We're linked into all Women's Super League clubs (WSL). It's a growing game, so let's get everything right from the start. That's much easier than trying to pick it up in five or 10 years' time."
Sampson was sacked for "inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour" in his previous job at Bristol Academy, since renamed Bristol City Women, after he had been cleared of Aluko's complaints by two inquiries. He has always denied the England player's allegations.
Chief executive Martin Glenn, who will be among those from the FA appearing before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee, along with chairman Greg Clarke, technical director Dan Ashworth and HR director Rachel Brace, has also insisted the sacking and Aluko complaints issues were unrelated.
However, the barrister looking into the Chelsea star's claims for the FA was still collecting evidence at the beginning of this month, and sports minister Tracey Crouch has described the episode as "a mess."
Glenn was not in charge when Sampson was appointed in 2013 and joined two months after an FA safeguarding review panel concluded an investigation into Sampson's behaviour at Bristol in 2015, with him being cleared to continue working in the game later that year.
Clarke took charge at Wembley in 2016 but Ashworth's role in the appointment process and internal reviews has been questioned outside the FA.
Whatever the DCMS committee establishes, the episode has left a stain on the FA's running of women's football in the same year it launched a three-year strategy to double participation and fan numbers and make the national team consistently successful.
The new professional league, which aims to expand the top tier of the women's game from 10 to 14 teams, and the England team are central to all three goals.
"Success on the international stage really drives awareness and inspires youngsters," Katie Brazier, the FA's head of women's leagues and competitions, told ESPN FC. "It is not necessarily the first sport that comes to mind for girls and their parents -- we absolutely want to change that, and international success will help us do it."
So too, the thinking goes, will be a strengthened, more competitive top league -- which should also improve the national team -- and the FA has set its sights high as it bids to drive change at club level.
The fact that its ability to govern has been questioned after high-profile issues in the women's game leaves it vulnerable to complaints from clubs who want to be part of a new WSL but don't meet the criteria -- and worse.
Janie Frampton, an ambassador for Women In Football and former FA referees' manager, said to ESPN FC: "If you were a parent of a young girl coming into football, or already in football, how would you feel about the support your daughter would get from the association?
"If I had a daughter, I wouldn't allow her to go into football at the moment. That's the damage."