FA launch new plans to develop women’s and girls’ football
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Updated 20/10/2020 at 15:14 GMT
It's no secret that something has to be done about participation amongst young girls playing football. The FA have announced a new strategy to try and tackle the problem. Renuka Odedra examines the situation.
Caroline Weir of Man City in action during the Barclays FA Women's Super League match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Kingsmeadow on December 08, 2019
Image credit: Getty Images
The FA have announced a new four-year strategy aiming for more girls to get involved in playing football from a young age.
The initiative, which is called ‘Inspiring Positive Change’ aims for every girl from the age of five to 11 to have equal access to football at their school or club and to participate for fun, competition and excellence.
England also fall into their vision for the future as they aim for them to win a major tournament by 2024. The Lionesses finished fourth in last year’s World Cup under the management of Phil Neville. Pushed back to 2022 after being delayed by a year, The Euros’ which will be hosted oh home soil will be their next big title to target.
England Women’s captain Steph Houghton praised the plans, “When I and many of my teammates were girls, opportunities to play the game were few and far between, so to see the breadth and scale of The FA’s ambitions in the next four years is extremely exciting.
“From the incredible pledge to provide equal access to football for primary-aged girls, to the pathway created for the country’s best talent to fulfil their potential – this strategy is truly game-changing.
“This new strategy will help provide opportunities for women and girls of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to fall in love with football and enjoy the many benefits that it can bring to their life.”
Alongside the initiative, the FA have set a whole host of other “ambitious” plans to grow the game for its strategy for the future. Other aims that are part of their eight “transformational” objectives include:
- Club Player Pathway – Collaborate with clubs to develop an effective high-performance, inclusive player-centred pathway.
- Elite Domestic Leagues and Competitions – Create the best professional women’s sports leagues and competitions in the world.
- Football for all – Recruit and support a motivated, diverse range of local leaders organising football for their communities.
- Coaching – Support the development of exceptional coaches at every level of the game who are representative of our society.
- Refereeing – Ensure that every female referee afforded high-quality bespoke learning and development opportunities from grassroots through to the elite game.
Baroness Sue Campbell, the director of Women’s Football at the FA said, “Football has the power to change lives for the better. It can contribute to physical and mental wellbeing, it can provide opportunities to compete and collaborate with others, and it can help to shape the place of girls and women in wider society
“Our new four-year strategy is based on understanding an individual’s motivation to play – for learning, for recreation, for competition and excellence. We want to ensure there is access and opportunity for every girl and woman to play, coach, spectate, officiate, manage or administer if they so wish and the game to be truly representative of our society across all characteristics and social backgrounds.”
OUR VIEW
This initiative could not have come at a more crucial time to develop women’s and girls’ football. The Digital, Culture, Media and Sports committee released a report this summer revealing that the coronavirus pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on women’s sport.
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Vivianne Miedema of Arsenal celebrates with Lisa Evans of Arsenal after scoring her sides fifth goal during the Barclays FA Women's Super League match between Arsenal and Bristol City
Image credit: Getty Images
The FA are thinking long-term about the future of the women’s football by proving the essential support that girls need from a young age to establish themselves in the sport - that can only be a good thing.
The inspiration is there for young girls, with more access to women’s game on TV and access to content on social media, young girls can dream. There will be girls out there who hope to be the next Lucy Bronze or Vivianne Miedema. This type of support will only help them to move along the football ladder and through the system to build the female game from the ground up.
Reading the strategy report, it's clear that the FA have thought through each of their aims in detail. Now what remains is the action, initiatives are great on paper, but they need to be met with proactive change for the betterment of future generations and equality in the sport.
Renuka Odedra
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