Investing in the Next Generation of Female Football Leaders

Seven inspirational young females who completed the Irish Football Association (IFA) Female Football Leaders Programme had their achievement acknowledged at a graduation ceremony in Stormont today, Friday 16th January 2015.

The seven females, Gemma Brown, Fionnuala Conlon, Lauren Crawford, Aimée McKeown, Shelby McReynolds, Bridgin Parker and Judith Reid who are aged between 17 and 25, were recruited for the training following the success of the pilot IFA Female Football Leaders Programme in 2013.

Explaining why the IFA developed a training programme to specifically support young females Niamh Shiells, Director, Advance Coaching & Course Tutor says:
"Despite the trailblazing success of women like the Sunderland chief executive, Margaret Byrne, and West Ham United's vice-chair, Karen Brady, women remain very much in the minority in leadership positions in football and the IFA Female Football Leaders Programme aims to change this situation. This is not a gender issue; this is a football and business issue. Women are significantly under-represented in executive and board positions in the industry and yet have considerable knowledge and skills that could be harvested more widely to benefit football. This programme aims to provide the talent pipeline to achieve this."

Explaining how the seven young females will use the knowledge and skills that they have developed to benefit the industry, Sara Booth, IFA Women’s Domestic Football Manager says:
"The IFA is committed to ensuring that more women become involved in the higher echelons of the game and at decision making level in particular. The Female Football Leaders Programme plays a key role in this process and we will be asking all the graduates to put all their learning into practice and be pioneers for the sport, as they work with clubs that are based right across Northern Ireland. This programme is funded through the UEFA Women's Football Development Programme and we are extremely grateful to UEFA for their continued support of our work in this area. This is a group of exceptionally talented young women and we are confident that they will each make a significant contribution to football in their own unique way.”

Congratulating the graduates on their achievement, Michael Boyd, Director of Football Development, IFA says:
"The Irish FA's vision is to foster, develop and promote Football for All. Creating a fun, safe and inclusive culture is at the heart of all that we do as a business. Being proactive in creating pathways for girls and women in football is a priority for the Association. By investing in these young people we are investing in the future of the game. I would like to congratulate all our new graduates and to thank all our partners, tutors and Sara Booth from the Irish FA for their support."

The IFA is calling for entries for this year’s Female Football Leaders Programme. There is no upper age limit for applications.  Closing date is Friday 30 January 2015. Please contact Sara Booth via E. [email protected] for registration details. For further information on the IFA log onto www.irishfa.com

Last updated 9 years 2 months ago