Lack of women in leadership positions is one of the major reasons why women’s soccer is less affluent than our male counterparts. In my previous article, I did mention how FIFA could do way more than invest 1 billion into the game,

“Of course we need funding to move forward and to ultimately change the game. However, to help everyone involved, be it an established player or a simple girl with nothing but passion and dreams of brighter days playing somewhere in a village, we will need more than just funds. The longstanding lack of women in positions of responsibility in the football community has led to limited voices to advocate for change”

Well, it seems like FIFA has been one step ahead, dipping their hands right into the core. FIFA together with UEFA and  IMD formed the Women in Football Leadership Programme. The aim of this program being to empower women to take up leadership positions.

What the hell is this Women in Football Leadership Programme?

This great initiative by the trio has already inspired some women to assume leadership positions from all over the world.

The 2019 edition of the programme brought together 24 participants in Zurich from 18th to 20th of November 2019. FIFA along with other governing bodies have been continuously working on a common aim. The aim has been to enrich the industry with different and valuable opinions as well as backgrounds and experiences. With the achievement of this aim comes the ability to make the game as inclusive as possible to women as well as embracing diversity in gender, perspective, race, religion, and social status. The most essential goal for the achievement of the prior mentioned aim is, therefore, the representation of women in football leadership.

You all know how men always say “women are complex creatures,” which applies in football as well. No man in power can fully understand the needs of women, only a woman can. Therefore, women play vital roles in the success of organizations where women are involved, especially if the aim is to be diverse and inclusive. The genesis of this program is a win-win situation for both male and female organizations. As much as the program provides a platform for women to grow and improve their decision-making skills, it also allows them to create a balance, allowing maximum sharing of ideas and progress.

The Women in Football Leadership program seeks to use a powerful leadership training week to support the careers of women who have a great influence on the today and tomorrow of football as a game and an industry. The programme allows participants to work on and discuss aspects of leadership for continual career development. At the end of the WFLP, every participant takes home leadership skills, extended networks and strong links with other women in positions of authority as well as the confidence to set and pursue career goals.

The program includes plenary discussions, role-playing, and one-on-one coaching. Teaching and professional skills development, as well as team dynamics, are also part of the package. The training week creates a good training environment, conducive for personal, professional growth and promotion of self-awareness and team spirit in a bid to enhance leadership skills.

When UEFA developed the WLFP, it aimed at women working in all areas of the football landscape not just in women’s soccer. This European governing body sought to identify individuals with leadership potential and help them develop the necessary skills through this initiative. Participants of this program are drawn from all aspects of football associations around the world. Women with various roles like independent board members, directors, performance directors, presidents, and chairwomen show up as participants.

In the 2019 edition of the programme women like Sarai Bareman (FIFA ‘s chief women’s football officer), Michele Uva (UEFA vice-president and deputy chairman of the UEFA Women’s football committee) and Ana Moura (director of the Portuguese Football Association) were present. And of course, the gospel of diversity was well implemented as we saw African football making its mark with notable women like Tsoseletso Magang (a member of the Botswana football association’s executive committee) present.

Leadership and figures before and after WFLP

Before The Women in Football Leadership Program, women lacked proper motivation and guidance to occupy positions of authority. However, in 2014, UEFA launched the programme in response to the rising concern of lack of diversity in the management of the football associations. The figures started to show an increase in the number of women in positions of authority in various associations. However, in 2014 only 5% of mid-level or top management positions were held by women.

A 2016 survey carried out in the seventh annual audit of women’s experiences on the board and in leadership roles within the national governing bodies (NGBs) of sports in England and Wales showed a huge increase in the numbers. The figures showed 30% of board positions being held by women while there was a fall from 42% in 2014 to 36% in 2016 of women in senior leadership roles. These figures falling way below the 50% borderline mark show that very few women occupy positions in national associations and there’s still room for more.

What more should National Governing bodies do?

So with all the programs being set up to ensure an increase in women participation in leadership roles, numbers still fall below stipulated figures. Even with this great initiative by the trio (FIFA, UEFA, and IMD) we still think there is more that can be done to enhance the program and increase our figures. The question is “what can NGBs do to enhance the WFLP and increase the figures?”

The answer to this burning question is one phrase which is also part of WLFP’s aim, “gender diversity” because believe it or not, it cannot be for women and it obviously won’t work for women if there ain’t no women in it.

This aspect of gender diversity can be broken down into various concepts that explain what needs to be done to increase our numbers. First of all, is the issue of board representation. Boards should no longer wait for positions to be vacant but should try to create a more gender-diverse board. The terms of office of longer standing board members should be brought to an end and proactively recruit, making sure equal numbers of men and women are on the shortlist.

Another notable issue is that of a decrease in the number of women in upper positions, indicating fewer women being promoted than men. Are men better at the job than women? Definitely not, women are simply fighting a system rigged against them with leadership preserved for men. NGBs should thus take steps to readdress the leadership imbalances and increase the number of women at all levels of leadership. Culture is deep-rooted and it cannot be changed overnight yes, but they can at least try, one policy at a time.

For NGBs to effectively enhance their programs, they need to be high performing modern organizations themselves. Attracting and retaining a diverse team including qualified women at all levels will allow proper sustainability of the WFLP.

Another issue is the fact that a business career in sports for women still feels less attractive. Many females see limited opportunities at senior levels as people tend to stay in roles for a long time. Despite the support being shown to women, the sports world is still male-dominated so chances of a lucrative career path become very slim. If you have watched Taraji P Henson’s movie “What Men Want, “you can definitely relate well to this point. Yes, it’s just a movie, but still drives the point home.

Capping it off

In summary what every NGB should do is to examine its constitution to get serious about all aspects of diversity, remove honorary statuses and introduce fixed term limits for board members. Recruitment based on skills required not appointment by popularity or gender should be considered.

Unfortunately, there is just so much a board can do, the rest is up to the women themselves. This brings us to the issue of self-confidence. Working in a male-dominated circle sure is intimidating as hell but believe me, if you are just as confident and passionate as they are, you will shine brighter in that skirt, queen!

Change is a process and we cannot change the system overnight but our consolation is that it is the only thing that is constant. Changing governance structures of an NGB can be difficult and controversial as highlighted by one leader,

“Unfortunately these organizations will not do it unless you tell them to do it…what you are asking people to do is vote themselves off the board…they are not going to do it.”

So there you have it folks, in conclusion, NGBs can create great programs for the inclusion of women and work to enhance them but at the end of the day, they cannot change the whole system overnight. So if you are that passionate about sports, wake up every single day and fight for that change, one policy at a time!