European cub association launched their first-ever women’s football strategy which aims to help clubs drive a better tomorrow for women’s football.
The strategy presents plans to introduce second-tier European competition. Currently, the only European competition in the women’s football is the Women’s Champions League, which will be played in a new format next season onwards. For the first time ever, group stage will be introduced instead of a knockout system.
One of the goals is to boost the opportunities to realize European ambitions. That includes exploring the options for a possible second tier competition and developing an online match
organizing tool to facilitate friendly fixtures among clubs, not participating in Women’s Champions League to meet other European teams. A plan to introduce a Women’s Club World Cup is also among the proposals.
Apart from that, the main idea of the strategy is to provide more support in order to accelerate professionalization and commercialization of women’s football, including carrying out ‘health checks’ in order to provide informed guidance on how clubs can improve and prioritize the spread of resources.
Overall, the plan is divided into six ambitious goals:
Enhance club player pathways to provide a prosperous and sustainable future for the game
Accelerate professionalization, empowering clubs to reach, maintain and exceed improved minimum standards
Advance the economic development of women’s football and identify new commercial opportunities
Boost the opportunities for clubs to realize European ambitions through the development of the competition landscape
Facilitate the successful creation of new women’s football clubs across Europe
Produce ‘first of its kind’ research studies that become a reference point for the women’s game globally
“I have been in the game long enough to fully understand the inequalities that exist and my ability to do something about it. I’m therefore proud as the chair of ECA’s Women’s Football Committee to support the implementation of ECA’s bold new initiatives. Through ECA’s ‘Be a Changemaker’ strategy, I am confident that women’s club football in Europe can surpass all of our expectations,” said Jean-Michael Aulas, the president of Olympique Lyon and chairman of Women’s football committee at ECA.
The full strategy is available HERE