Irish FA set to unveil new strategy for women’s and girls’ football which will help 'reach our full potential'
The Irish Football Association (IFA) are set to launch a new strategy for women’s and girls’ football in Northern Ireland which Director of Women’s Football Angela Platt hopes will help “reach our full potential at the highest level of our sport”.
‘Together We Thrive: Elevating The Game For Everyone’ is based around boosting the development of the women’s and girls’ game for the next generation of players, coaches, referees, volunteers and fans.
The new strategy follows on from ‘Growing the Game: Maximising Impact (2019-2024)’ and focuses on strengthening clubs, sustaining Irish FA programmes and ongoing development, with key objectives including making the women’s football ecosystem more sustainable and enhancing player pathways.
“During the last five years women’s and girls’ football in Northern Ireland has grown and evolved significantly,” said Platt. “In qualifying for UEFA Women’s Euro in 2022, our senior women’s national team reached a major tournament for the first time and, as a consequence, helped to raise the profile and visibility of women’s and girls’ football.
“We have also increased our participation numbers from 1600 registered players in 2018 to 11,441 in 2024. However, there is still so much to achieve.
“This ambitious plan will require support from clubs and stakeholders, as well as local and national government. It will require us all to collaborate and work together more to enable sustainability of our football ecosystem, achieve further growth in our participation and enhance the game at all levels to reach our full potential at the highest level of our sport.”
The IFA say ‘Together We Thrive: Elevating The Game For Everyone’ features five strategic pillars: Fun football and the everyday game – making football enjoyable and accessible for everyone, regardless of age, ability, motivation or location.
Clubs and competitions – delivering a sustainable women’s and girls’ football pyramid.
Performance pathway – delivering successful national teams in a high-quality performance environment and support system.
People development – recruiting, developing and retaining a skilled workforce, both professional and voluntary, to support growth and development of women’s and girls’ football.
Profile and visibility – raising the profile and improving perceptions of women’s football through increased visibility.