NYON, Switzerland — UEFA pledged Wednesday to steer €1 billion ($1.08 billion) toward all levels of women’s soccer over the next six years as part of a comprehensive strategy to grow the game in Europe.
UEFA’s goal is to make “football the most-played team sport for women and girls in every European country,” as well as doubling the number of fully professional national leagues to six and raising the number of professional players from 3,000 to 5,000.
“It is our promise to keep investing and collectively lead the game forward, with all European national associations, leagues, clubs, players, fans and partners part of our journey,” UEFA’s director of women’s soccer Nadine Kessler said in a statement.
The UEFA plan, dubbed “Unstoppable,” includes developing paths for women and girls to play, coach and referee from the grassroots level.
Still, Kessler acknowledged in the 31-page document that there are “persistent challenges and obstacles to overcome” in getting more girls and women into the game.
The previous UEFA women’s soccer strategy in 2019 aimed for 2.5 million registered players across its 55 member federations and the latest document reported 1.6 million last season.
The total prize money for clubs this season in the Women’s…
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