FIFA has for long championed the move of having women involved more into the running of football across the board, from referees, coaches, players and administrators among others.
Several resolutions have been made in the past to make sure the participation of women in the beautiful game in enhanced.
The latest move by the FIFA Council is the passong of a resolution mandating women football coaches to have a key stake at the elite level.
In a FIFA Council meeting that sat on Thursday, it was agreed that starting this year, every women’s team that takes part in a FIFA-sanctioned competition must have a women on the bench.
“The FIFA Council has approved groundbreaking regulations that will reshape the future of women’s football, mandating female representation in team leadership across all its women’s competitions. From this year onward, each team participating in FIFA women’s competitions, shall ensure that their head coach and/or at least one of the assistant coaches be female, that at least one of the medical staff be female, and that at least two officials seated on the team bench be female. This applies to all youth and senior tournaments, national team competitions, and club competitions,” the statement reads.
The regulation will come into effect, starting with the FIFA Under 20 Women’s World Cup in Poland in September, followed by the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup, all scheduled for this year.
Significantly, it also includes the biggest women’s sporting event on the planet, the FIFA Women’s World Cup set to be held in Brazil in 2027.
“There are simply not enough women in coaching today. We must do more to accelerate change by creating clearer pathways, expanding opportunities, and increasing the visibility for women on our sidelines,” said FIFA’s Chief Football Officer, Jill Ellis.
The initiative is part of FIFA’s broader strategy to ensure that the rapid growth of the women’s game is matched by an increased representation of women in technical and leadership roles.