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FIFA to impose mandatory grassroots funding for women’s football
Mandatory grassroots funding programmes for women’s football will be developed by FIFA for all its member associations in a bid to stop female participants leaving the game.
The plan will be part of a new women’s football development strategy that will be published by 2017, which in turn forms part of the governing body’s Vision of the Future document it has published following the election of president Gianni Infantino, and the appointment of Fatma Samoura as secretary general.
Aside from grassroots investment, the strategy will make the case for the appointment of a chief of women’s football, who will oversee the newly-established Women’s Football Division, and the creation of a women’s football-specific commercial programme.
FIFA has made the commitment that over the next 10 years it will invest up to US$315m (£258m, €285.9m) for member nations to invest in the development of the women’s game. It will include funds for the organisation of girls’ leagues and women’s professional leagues.
The goal for FIFA is to double the 30m female football players worldwide to 60m by 2026.
During her maiden speech since joining FIFA at Soccerex last month, Samoura said that “cultural and institutional behaviours” within the organisation previously had seen the neglect of football development at grassroots level, and the failure to put women’s football “at the centre of the game”. Samoura made clear that she was intent to change this.
Elsewhere, Vision of the Future made the commitment that US$4bn (£3.3bn, €3.6bn) will be spent over the next decade to help FIFA’s 211 member nations professionalise football administration, including their governance, compliance and efficiency.
“Our vision – to promote the game, protect its integrity and bring the game to all – will set the path forward for our work,” said Infantino.
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