The English Football Association (FA) has followed its continental counterpart with the publication of a long-term, tiered strategy for women’s and girls’ football.
Announced this morning (31 October), the ‘Reaching Higher’ four year strategy will be implemented from 2024-2028 and will cover four strategic pillars aimed at unlocking women’s football growth opportunities.
The potential of the sport has already been recognised by various stakeholders. For example, the Women’s Super League (WSL), the top-flight of English women’s football, has secured a new broadcast deal via a renewal with Sky and the BBC, and has netted a high-value sponsor in Barclays Bank.
To build on this, the FA aims to build and protect the ‘uniqueness’ of the women’s game, particularly the culture around the sport; win a major tournament, with the England team having been runners up in two World Cups and claiming the title in the 2021 Euros; build robust high quality competition; and deliver equal opportunities across the sport.
Baroness Sue Campbell, outgoing Director of Women’s Football at The FA, said: “There’s no question that in the last four years we have made significant and tangible progress across every aspect of women’s and girls’ football, but there is no room for complacency – we must strive to reach higher.
“Although diversity within the women’s game is improving, we must double our efforts to ensure every girl and woman feels they are welcome within the football family whether as players, coaches, officials or leaders.
“We can be proud of what we have achieved to date, but now is the time to refocus our priorities so we can unlock the true potential of women’s and girls’ football.”
The FA has added that it has earmarked five ‘golden threads’ which it wants to intertwine with the efforts towards achieving the aforementioned goals. These threads focus on female health and wellbeing, safeguarding, refereeing, coaching, and diversity and inclusion.
With women’s football, particularly international tournaments like the Euros and World Cup, gaining more and more attention, sporting bodies across various countries and regions are looking at how they can continue fostering growth.
UEFA, the continental governing body for European football, introduced its own plan for women’s football yesterday, titled ‘Unstoppable’.
The six year strategy aims to cement football as the leading sport for women and girls in all European countries, supplanting the likes of netball, volleyball, and basketball, among other popular games in the diverse European sports landscape.
Mark Bullingham, CEO at The FA, said: “Until we have the same number of women and girls playing as men and boys, there is still more work to do across the game.
“In the next four years, we will set our sights on more international success, as well as building the quality and sustainability of our women’s and girls’ leagues and cup competitions and developing facilities to match our ambitions.
“None of our ambitious plans can be delivered without seamless collaboration with football’s stakeholders, including the new independent body running the top two divisions of the women’s game. We head into the 2024-28 period in great shape, with ambition to deliver more growth and societal change.”
