FIFA releases new funds to support women’s football at national levels
Zurich, Switzerland (PANA) - The World Football governing body (FIFA) is rolling out a new women’s football development programme that will supplement both the Forward Programme and Covid-19 relief measures, allowing all member associations to apply.
The women’s development programme aims to provide all 211 member associations with an opportunity to apply for and access additional resources and specialist expertise to develop women’s football at a national level.
Under the programme, member associations will be able to apply for support across eight key areas of women’s football development during the 2020-23 period.
In a press release issued at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, FIFA Secretary General, Fatma Samoura, said: “FIFA’s commitment to supporting our member associations in developing women’s football remains one of our top priorities. In addition to the funding currently available via the COVID-19 Women’s Football Grant and the FIFA Forward Programme, the FIFA Women’s Football Development Programme will provide more support and assistance to member associations so that they can invest in the women’s game at all levels.”
Sarai Bareman, FIFA Chief Women’s Football Officer, added: “The top-class football and billion-plus television viewers of last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 in France showed just how far the women’s game has come. Our goal is to bring it ever more into the mainstream and working hand in hand with our MAs will allow us to do this and make women’s football accessible to everybody.”
Women’s football is a key priority for FIFA, which set up a dedicated Women’s Football Division in 2016, presented its first Women’s Football Strategy two years later and is now doubling its investment across a range of areas in the women’s game.
The new programme, that also seeks to assist national associations through experts, additional equipment and technical support, comes after the US$500,000 each member association can get specifically for the women’s game as part of FIFA’s covid-19 relief fund and the governing body’s Forward Programme.
The development programme includes women’s football strategy, football campaign, league development, club licensing, capacity-building for administrators, coach education scholarships, coach mentorship and women in football leadership.
All members can apply but must meet FIFA’s requirements and fit the new programme into their larger women’s football strategy, something that the world federation stresses throughout a 46-page document that details the criteria to apply for each of the individual eight programmes.
-0- PANA VAO 9Sept2020
