FA announces new plans for girls' football in England

The Football Association (FA) has announced new plans to make sure that girls in England have the same chances to play football as boys.

It says it wants to build and improve facilities as well as increase the number of women coaches in the game.

It could also mean big changes for how the sport is played at schools.

The FA report comes a day after Uefa, who are in charge of European football, announced it wants to invest one billion euros (£830m) in the women's game over the next six years in order to make it the most played team sport in Europe.

What has been announced?

The Lionesses made history by winning the Euros for the first time in 2022

The FA says that there will be more investment in womens' and girls' football and it wants to make the game more diverse and inclusive so it can be more reflective of our society.

Over the next four years, the FA wants 90% of schools to provide girls with equal access to football and to continue to increase the number of female teams.

The plan also aims to improve playing facilities by building 4,000 new grass pitches and 300 additional 3G pitches.

It also wants to develop the game for professionals too, aiming for the Lionesses to win another major tournament within the next four years.

The Lionesses are the current European Champions and finished runners up at the last World Cup in 2023.

Louise Gear, the FA’s head of grassroots football development, said: “The amazing success of the Lionesses has super-charged the demand for women and girls to play.

“Our ambition is to ensure every woman and girl who wants to play football has an opportunity to do so – either casually or competitively – in a safe and enjoyable setting,” she added.