The French Football Federation (FFF) announced on Thursday an additional envelope to develop women’s football and upscale the championships, ambitions located in line with the arrival of Hervé Renard at the head of the team of France. “Women’s football is part of the future of football (…), the FFF will take a trajectory that will mark the history of women’s football in France”, assured Philippe Diallo, the interim president of the Federation.
“In recent months, we have experienced upheavals and the FFF has seized it to take a new step,” he continued, referring to the recent departures of Noël Le Graët from the presidency and Corinne Deacon, replaced by Hervé Renard at the head of the women’s selection. This “trajectory” experienced a first illustration with the first successful gathering of the new coach, in clear contrast to the recent past of the French women’s team.
20 to 25% increase in allocations for clubs
Philippe Diallo, who was speaking after a meeting of the executive committee of “3F”, announced a 20 to 25% increase in allocations for women’s clubs, which represents between 4 and 5 million euros. euros of annual investment from the FFF. “Beyond the words, there is also an economic commitment on the part of the federation. An unprecedented effort in the history of the federation for women’s football,” he commented during a press conference. .
To give this new impetus, a Professional League specific to women, but internal to the FFF, must be launched on July 1, 2024. The decision will be ratified by the federal assembly on June 10. “Why do it? To satisfy ambition and respond to European competition. We were at the forefront, we were probably caught up. It is important that we maintain competitiveness, hence this structuring of the League female professional internal to the Federation, not independent and which will integrate D1 and D2”, detailed Jean-Michel Aulas, member of the executive committee of the FFF.
Championship revamp
This season, for the first time since 2014, no French club has qualified for the semi-finals of the Women’s Champions League. But to qualify for this professionalization, the D1 clubs will have to respect several criteria, relating in particular to their stadium: the lighting, the quality of the lawn of the pitches, the presence of TV platforms, better infrastructures or open stands will thus be taken into account.
Training centers within clubs and approved by the Ministry of Sports will also be set up. Without waiting for the official creation of this League in 2024, the FFF wants to make the women’s championship more attractive from next season (2023-24), with the introduction of play-offs bringing together the four clubs who came first in the regular season.
The two finalists who will play for the title of champion of France on May 19, 2024 as well as the winner of the small final, which will have taken place the day before, will be qualified for the Women’s Champions League, said Jean-Michel Aulas. This reform goes hand in hand with the restructuring of the women’s championship, with a second division narrowed to a pool of 12 clubs and the creation of a third division of two pools.
Champions Trophy
This is not the only novelty: a Champions Trophy has also been created, the first edition of which will be played on September 10 in Troyes and will launch the new season. “We tried to ensure that the calendar that was offered to us for the D1 calendar and for the French team did not come into too much competition”, explained Jean-Michel Aulas.
Diallo and Aulas have also launched calls for tenders for the TV broadcast of the D1 championship and the women’s selection covering the period 2023-2027. An important lever in the development of women’s football, knowing that less than 100 days before the Women’s World Cup (July 20-August 20), the TV rights for France for this competition have still not been awarded.