ING Nederland’s Post

NFF Bolsters Commitment to Women’s Football and NNL Growth NFF President Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau has pledged a major push to elevate Nigerian women’s football and lower leagues to global standards. Highlighting the success of the NNL Super Four and a new ₦10 million prize pool, the federation is leveraging strategic private partnerships to drive a transformative era for the domestic game. Read the article on ASN: https://lnkd.in/e_PcnBtw #football #nigeriafootball #nff #womensfootball #nnl #nigerianationalleague #toptiersports #sportsinvestment #africanfootball #grassrootsfootball #superfour #gusau #footballgrowth #sportsgovernance #womenssport

Dr Patrice Motsepe, President of Confédération Africaine de Football (“CAF”), and Aleksander Čeferin, President of Union of European Football Associations ("UEFA"), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration and drive the growth and development of football across Africa and Europe. The agreement marks a significant step forward in fostering closer ties between the two confederations, with a shared vision to elevate the global game through strategic cooperation. Key areas of collaboration include youth development, women’s football, technical and coaching education, governance, and the exchange of expertise and best practices. This partnership also reflects a broader commitment to using football as a powerful tool for unity, inclusion, and sustainable development, while unlocking new opportunities for players, coaches, and stakeholders across both continents. 🔗 Read more: https://lnkd.in/dXSAz2ue #CAF #UEFA #FootballDevelopment #AfricanFootball #EuropeanFootball #Partnership #YouthFootball #WomensFootball #SportsLeadership #FootballForGood

This MoU between CAF and UEFA reflects the steady advancement of a broader process centred on stronger governance, football development and meaningful cooperation across continents.

This MOU is very good and I certainly believe both organizations, #caf and #uefa, can mutually benefit from it. My hope is that #CAF would benefit from this partnership to improve its governance which is, frankly speaking, extremely weak. #caf, #uefa, #fifa

It’s exciting to see moves like this from Chelsea FC Women, not just as a milestone for the club, but as a signal of where the global game is heading. Having both the men’s and women’s teams under the same club identity at Chelsea FC, sharing brand, infrastructure, and now a permanent home at Stamford Bridge, creates a level of integration that continues to elevate the women’s game. It reinforces that success, visibility, and investment aren’t separate conversations. In contrast, in the U.S., leagues like the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and Major League Soccer (MLS) largely operate as separate entities. While there are some shared ownership groups and partnerships, the overall structure doesn’t consistently unify the men’s and women’s teams under one fully integrated brand and matchday experience. There’s no single “right” model, but moments like this highlight how alignment across men’s and women’s teams can accelerate growth, strengthen brand identity, and deepen fan engagement. A big step forward for Chelsea FC Women, and an exciting one for the future of the global game. #WomensFootball #SportsBusiness #FootballIndustry #NWSL #MLS #ChelseaFC #CFCW #WeAreChelsea

It is always good to learn from other nations across Europe, so it was a pleasure to organize & host the UEFA Share Educational visit to Belfast this week. The event was planned to coincide with the UEFA European Women's U.17's Championship. 30 delegates from 9 countries attended the event exploring 'Female Elite Youth Player Development'. Throughout the 3 days, UEFA Technical experts Nora Häuptle & Lluís Cortés Cava delivered excellent presentations detailing up to date insights into modern trends within the female game. Delegates were tasked with profiling players who were participating in the semi-finals. This provoked lots of discussion on how to ensure coaches can create a positive learning environment so that players can reach their true and full potential. From an Irish Football Association perspective, our Director of Women's Football, Angela Platt outlined The Irish FA aspirations from our strategic document "Together We Thrive: Elevating The Game For Everyone" (2025-2030). Our international women's managers were also in attendance sharing their insights from youth & senior level. #coachdevelopment #lifelonglearning

Earlier this month, we hosted the latest consultation meeting in Tallinn, bringing together 27 Member Clubs from across the Nordic and Baltic regions: 🇮🇸🇫🇴🇫🇮🇸🇪🇵🇱🇱🇹🇩🇰🇪🇪 The session focused on key youth football topics, including insights from our recent study with CIES - International Centre for Sports Studies 👉https://lnkd.in/e2ryeMEs We also shared important updates on the FIFA Clearing House and the transfer of minors, with contributions from our Legal and Youth departments. A valuable part of the discussion was dedicated to open dialogue, with clubs raising questions and sharing challenges for which they were able to receive guidance and support. Thank you to all participants for their engagement and collaboration !

Earlier in April, Girl Power's founder, Khalida Popal, joined KNVB WorldCoaches in Ter Apel, at the biggest asylum seeker reception center in The Netherlands, to deliver two clinics on football, leadership, and life skills. There, she was able to share her experience and the work of Girl Power to empower the refugee community through football. The coaches who participated in the clinics will be role models and inspiration for children and youth aiding integration and strengthening local communities. One of the sessions was for women coaches only. When girls see women coaches who share similar backgrounds and experiences, they feel understood, they feel safe, they are open and they want to participate. That is why we work hard to identify, recruit and educate young women from our own communities to become coaches and leaders. That is why we advocate for more women in football, more refugees in football, more change in football. Thank you to KNVB WorldCoaches and UEFA Foundation for Children for the support and the opportunity and for being allies of our community.

£10 million. 17,000 square feet. Built entirely for the women's first team. Manchester City Football Club Women are not playing around. Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak flew to Manchester to officially open the brand new facility at the City Football Academy - and it comes just as the WSL Champions are set to lift the trophy this Saturday. This is what investing in women's football looks like. Want more women's sports news from the GCC & wider MENA region? Sign up to our weekly newsletter, The Mettle Mail: https://lnkd.in/dukED_6U #themettleset #manchestercity #womensfootball #wsl #womeninsport

World Cup 2026. LA Olympics 2028. Women's sports boom. The business of sports has never been more active and we're proud to support several trade associations in the sports industry, including American Sports Builders Association (ASBA) and Synthetic Turf Council (STC). Learn more about their efforts in the sports industry in our latest article: https://ow.ly/R6Th50YOKuo #TeamSMG #BusinessofSports #AssociationManagement #AssociationLeadership #ASBA #STC #sportsbuilders #syntheticturf