The number of women and girls playing football has increased by 56% since 2020, as a result of The Football Association’s strategy to build a sustainable future for the women’s game.
The FA launched ‘Inspiring Positive Change’ in 2020, with the ambition of improving access to playing for girls and increasing the number of females playing.
Boosted by the success of the Lionesses becoming European Champions and World Cup finalists in this time, the strategy has resulted in historic growth over the four year period.
Knowing the importance of being inspired early, the FA set a target of 75% of schools to be offering girls equal access to football by 2024, a target that was met in 2023 and now sits at 77%.
Coaching and refereeing numbers have also seen significant growth – the number of female coaches being developed rose by 88% between 2020 and 2024, while the number of female referees increased by 113%.
Since the launch of the strategy, the girls’ talent pathway has been amended to make the professional game more accessible and inclusive.
The number of players accessing the pathway from underrepresented groups and economically deprived areas has risen by 127% and 112% respectively as a result of 73 Emerging Talent Centres being established and the Discover my Talent programme.
The duration of the strategy has coincided with exponential growth across the domestic women’s leagues and competitions, including two sold out FA Cup Finals and record levels of investment in the competition.
Attendances in the Barclays Women’s Super League increased by 239% since 2021 and the WSL has also become the most socially followed women’s league in the world.
The end of Inspiring Positive Change marked the beginning of a new era of women’s football, as the WSL and Women’s Championship moved away from The FA to establish its own independent entity, Women’s Professional League Limited.
Baroness Sue Campbell, The FA’s Director of Women’s Football, said: “It is remarkable what has been achieved in just four years, with more women and girls stepping forward to play, coach, officiate and participate as fans.
“But there is still more work to be done for the sport to reach the heights we know it can grow to. It is our continued mission to increase diversity and make the women’s game an accurate representation of our society.
“We cannot rest on our laurels and we need to ensure every woman and girl, regardless of their background, can access football and enjoy the benefits it brings.
“There is every reason to be excited about where our game goes next, and I cannot wait to see where we will be in another four years’ time.”
Featured image credit: Luke Walker/Getty Images via One Football
