UK government to back recommendations of Karen Carney-led women's football review

Carney on the need to invest more in women's football

The UK government says it will back all recommendations in the women's football review that was led by former England midfielder Karen Carney.

The report, published in July, called for the top two women's tiers in England to become fully professional.

It also wanted a new regular broadcast slot to be made available.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer has urged the Football Association and stakeholders to "set a new standard for women's sport".

She says this is a "defining moment" for women's football.

"I am confident this continued work and determination can propel the women's game even further, setting the standard for women's sport as a whole," she said.

The government response added that the recommendations "are the right blueprint for the future of women's football".

It stated: "Our attention will be on making them a reality, and holding the football industry to account for their success."

The report's recommendations called for:

  • world-leading standards for players, fans, staff, and everyone in the women's game

  • restoration of the talent pathway needed to create future generations of Lionesses

  • professionalisation across the top two tiers to attract and develop the best players in the world

  • the lack of diversity to be addressed across the women's game, in on-pitch and off-pitch roles

  • the game's governing bodies to work with broadcasters to create a new dedicated time slot

  • adopting more measures to support fans

  • provision of equal access to school sports for girls

  • more investment in grassroots facilities and better access for females.

When the review was published, Carney said domestic women's football could become a "billion-pound industry" in 10 years' time.

The government response comes days after Women's Super League and Women's Championship clubs agreed to form a club-owned organisation to run women's professional league football in England from the 2024-25 season, taking over from the Football Association.

Frazer told BBC Breakfast there was a need to "absolutely narrow" the "massive disparity" in pay between the men's and women's games.

"What we need to do is to make sure the women's game is more commercial, that it attracts more broadcast income, because if we do that - and we maintain its professionalism - the women will be enabled to be paid more," she said.

"So absolutely we need to work towards equalisation of pay and we need to do that gradually so it's affordable, but the report isn't just about pay. It's also about minimum standards.

"Women are doing a number of jobs at the same time and it's just unsustainable in circumstances where the men don't."

The UK government will launch an implementation group of key stakeholders to deliver the Carney review plans and will also establish a separate board of women's sports to highlight themes and challenges faced by different sports, share best practices and research and accelerate growth.

Carney, 36, won 144 caps for England, retiring from playing after the 2019 World Cup.

She said: "I'm encouraged that the government is providing their full backing to my review and renewing their commitment to develop women's football in the UK and fulfil its potential to be a world-beating sport. The real work begins now."

The FA also released a detailed response to the review, welcoming efforts "to support the continued growth of the women's game".

The governing body also said it agreed with the proposal for a dedicated broadcast slot but the review did not recommend where the additional revenue would come from.

In a summary of its response, it added: "The FA's back-to-back women's strategies, Gameplan for Growth and Inspiring Positive Change, have seen a doubling of participation in the grassroots game, a doubling of fans in the professional game and international success in [England] winning the Euros.

"With Women's Super League and Women's Championship clubs having just agreed to create a new organisation to lead the women's professional game into a new era, this is a pivotal moment in the development of women's football, and we welcome the support government can provide in the game's continuing success."

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