Government to launch review into domestic women's football
- Published
Chelsea are bidding to retain their Women's Super League title and are into the FA Cup final
The government will launch an in-depth review of domestic women's football this summer.
The review will look at how to deliver growth at both elite and grassroots level.
The findings are expected to be published by the end of the year.
"The time is right for a thorough review of the women's game to ensure all is being done to support its further growth." Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston said.
"It is clear that an assessment of the value of the women's and girl's game is needed, to ensure it is properly financed for the long term."
The review will be independently chaired and supported by an expert advisory panel.
It comes before a major summer for women's sport with England hosting Euro 2022 from 6 to 31 July, which will be broadcast across the BBC, and is expected to look at how to achieve greater parity with the men's game, focussing on commercialisation, spectator support and media interest.
It follows the fan-led review of football governance, published last November by ex-sports minister Tracey Crouch, which recommended a review of the women's game.
A spokesperson for the Football Association said: "A review of women's football was a key outcome of the fan-led review and one that we fully support.
"We have been working with the government for some time on all of the recommendations from the review and in particular on the proposals to look into the future of women's football."
The women's game has made huge progress in recent years and at grassroots level has become the most played team sport for women and girls in England, with three million registered players and 12,000 registered teams.
However, both the Covid-19 pandemic and the men's game fan-led review highlighted the shallow resources within the women's elite game, which has the potential to affect its long-term growth.
The sport has also been given another boost with confirmation that the Women's World Cup and European Championship have been added to the 'crown jewels' of British sporting events, securing free-to-air coverage.
"Women's football is a growing force," Huddleston added.
"The 2019 World Cup captured the hearts and minds of the nation, and with greater participation, employment and visibility in the media, I am confident that Euro 2022 will inspire more women and girls to get into our national game as we work towards parity across all sport."
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