The importance being attached to the development of women's football throughout Europe – underlined by a recent UEFA Executive Committee decision – has been reiterated by a gathering in Nyon that helped set the course for the future in this sector of the game.
The Women's Football Development workshop, held under the auspices of the UEFA Knowledge & Information Sharing Scenario (KISS), was attended by more than 50 of UEFA's member associations and addressed a broad palette of issues relating to women's football, which has experienced continued upwards momentum over recent years. The KISS program forms part of the HatTrick assistance scheme to UEFA's member associations and is administered by the UEFA national associations division, UEFA said on its website.
At its meeting in Prague in December, the UEFA Executive Committee noted the huge growth in European women's football, in terms of both registered players and participation, and agreed to support the UEFA Women's Football Development Program (WFDP) via a yearly payment of €100,000 between 2012 and 2016. These payments will come via the HatTrick III scheme.
Women's football development will now be part of the national associations division's remit, and women's football is one of the key areas for the innovative UEFA Study Group Scheme – in which national associations share technical information and know-how through a comprehensive series of visits to each other for seminars and discussions.
UEFA was delighted to see 51 associations present in Nyon to exchange views and ideas. This first-ever gathering on women's football development focused on subjects such as women's football development at UEFA; women and governance in football; the brand positioning of women's football at UEFA; and the recuitment of female coaches.
This all-inclusive event was a key first. The aim now is not to rest on laurels, but to stage smaller workshops catering for the various levels of development of each association, while pilot projects will be held in four countries to assess the initial impact of the latest UEFA investment steps. Women's football continues to flourish – with UEFA at the vanguard of the drive forward.
