Bid to develop women’s soccer
Sports Reporter
World soccer governing body FIFA and the International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPRO) seek to accelerate development of women’s football, and mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
During a 90-minute video-conference call, FIFPRO shared its Raising our Game report, which charts recent progress in women’s football, and makes recommendations to achieve growth by bolstering the conditions of female players.
FIFPRO is working towards these improvements together with its network of national player unions and the FIFPRO Global Player Council.
FIFA discussed the impact of Covid-19 on the women’s game, and how it is working with stakeholders to help provide support to the industry. FIFA is currently investing in several programmes to develop the women’s game on and off the pitch.
As part of the US$1 billion to be invested by FIFA into women’s football between 2019 and 2022, these programmes aim to develop a range of areas in women’s football, including competitions, capacity-building, governance and leadership, professionalisation and technical development.
Recognising the impact of Covid-19 on the women’s game, FIFA is also working on providing further assistance to women’s football as part of an on-going assessment into the financial impact of the pandemic on the wider football community.
Both FIFA and FIFPRO have agreed to support and strengthen the women’s game, with discussions to cover topics including player conditions, competitions and the women’s international match calendar.
FIFA chief women’s football officer Sarai Bareman said this is a positive step to ensure support is given to professional players at all levels of women’s football and to develop the women’s game around the world.
“Together with key stakeholders across football, including confederations and member associations, we look forward to overcome the challenges women’s football faces,” she said.
FIFPRO chief women’s football officer Amanda Vandervort said they keep working on behalf of players and their union representatives to improve the women’s game through a global set of labour standards.
“The corona virus presents new challenges for women’s football and the best way to confront these is with a strong and united vision,” she said.