Aim for female football teams at 75% of clubs

The Jersey Football Association has outlined a "bold and ambitious" vision for the future

Three quarters of Jersey football clubs will have women's or girls' teams by 2028, an association has pledged.

The Jersey Football Association (JFA) launched its four year business strategy outlining its "bold and ambitious" vision for the future of football in the island.

Plans include improving the availability of training facilities, delivering equal opportunities, tackling poor behaviour in the game and developing a network of volunteers, coaches and referees.

Jimmy Kelly, Chairman of the Jersey FA Board, said the strategy was "big and bold" and he was "excited to see it unfold and become a reality over the next four years".

He said: "This strategy reflects our commitment to making our sport more inclusive, particularly for women and girls, and to champion further investment into sports facilities and infrastructure that will benefit the wider community.

"It’s already been a season of significant change for the Jersey Football Association, in the office, at board level and out on the pitch, and it’s therefore the perfect time to clearly lay out where our focus will be."

'An ambitious plan'

The FA said plans were in place to reduce the number of matches postponed due to bad weather by building two new 3G artificial pitches by 2028.

It also hoped to enhance "community wellbeing" by becoming a leading charity for reducing social isolation.

Tiff Sundby, a Jersey player for the women's team, said she was "pleased to see an ambitious plan to deliver more opportunities for women and girls".

"If these targets are met, the female game will be in a really strong place for our island."