Keeping women's football on the crest of a wave

Women's football is riding the crest of a wave, and the momentum is building with a plan to get even more women and girls playing the beautiful game.

During half time at the first Women's FA Cup final played at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 1st August, a £3.7 million cash award was celebrated.

The money will pay for an extension of the Female Development Programme, which was launched in 2013 with the aim of getting 40,000 new players into the sport – it has exceeded its target by more than 2,000.

Now the programme, which brings together Sport England, the Football Association, the Premier League and the Football League Trust, has been set the target of attracting another 21,000 aged 14 and over to football in the next year.

Sessions, funded by the FA and Sport England, will be run by 87 Premier League and Football League clubs for 30 weeks of the year.

It's based on the Premier League 4 Sport model, which creates satellite sporting hubs using the clubs' expertise and facilities.

Quality experience

"It's not just about going out on the pitch once and having a kickabout," said Sport England Director of Sport Phil Smith, who was at Wembley to celebrate the funding announcement.
"We want them to have a quality experience so that they can continue to enjoy football for as long as they want to.

"That is why this partnership is so important."