UEFA has pledged to devote €1 billion (£830m) to women’s football over the next six years in a bid to make it the most played women’s team game in Europe.
The ECU’s governing framework will use money from “UEFA’s competition revenues and investments” to distribute across national team competitions, club competitions and national associations.
UEFA wants to make Europe “the home of the best players in the world” with six fully professional leagues and 5,000 fully professional players across the continent.
“European women’s football has never been in a better place,” said Nadine Kessler, UEFA’s general director of women’s football.
“It has become a sport for the masses, attracting a diverse and ever-growing fan base and partners who wholeheartedly contribute to its growth.”
The unused six-year strategy, called “Unstoppable”, was announced as the women’s game becomes more financially difficult.
In June, analysts reported that the Women’s Super League had generated record revenue in the 2022-23 season.
The 2023 World Cup in Australia and Untouched Zealand, which used to be won through Spain, generated revenue of £440m.
“We can’t just focus on countries whose construction is already complicated,” Kessler told the BBC World Service earlier this month.
“This strategy will offer more personalized help for those countries that need special support.”
As part of the investment, UEFA plans to introduce a second European women’s club competition that will sit below the Champions League.
The competition would be a knockout format, with teams competing against clubs eliminated in the early rounds of the Champions League.
Euro 2025, organized by UEFA, will be held in Switzerland.
