- Culture Minister Lucy Fraser met with the Football Association, the new board and others to add momentum to the implementation of recommendations made in Karen Carney MBE's review into women's football.
- The news comes as the Sports Minister brings together academics and industry stakeholders to explore further opportunities to move women's sport forward
- The meetings build on the Government's existing commitment to support the growth of women's and girls' sport, including the £30m Lionesses Futures Fund.
Culture Secretary Lucy Fraser will today convene the first implementation group to review women's football, bringing together leaders to deliver on the recommendations set out in Karen Carney MBE's blueprint for the domestic women's game.
Representatives from NewCo – the new independent body responsible for governing the women's professional game – The FA, The Football Foundation, Sport England, the Sports Grounds Safety Authority, the Professional Football Association, the English Football League, the Department for Education and the Premier League will be challenged to update the Culture Secretary on progress achieved so far.
The group will be responsible for implementing leading global standards for players, fans and staff; Improving talent pipeline; Allocating a dedicated broadcast slot for women's football, among other recommendations.
In December 2023, the Government fully supported the recommendations made in the Carney Review to deliver bold and sustainable growth for women’s football. This followed the publication of the government's new sports strategy aimed at increasing the number of active people by 3.5 million by 2030, including an additional 1.25 million women.
Culture Minister Lucy Fraser said:
We are committed to our plan to achieve further growth and participation in women's sport, so that we can achieve our ambitious goal of 1.25 million more active women by 2030.
Last year, the Government fully supported the recommendations made in the Karen Carney Review of Women's Football.
We are now implementing the recommendations presented to the government, including bringing together those responsible for bringing about change to ensure rapid progress.
One of the key recommendations made in the review was for the Government to increase investment to accommodate meaningful access for women and girls to play sport alongside local authorities, the FA and the Premier League.
Progress has already been made in this regard with the Government’s commitment to invest £30 million to deliver 30 new state-of-the-art 3G pitches in locations supporting women’s and girls’ teams across England via the Lionesses Futures Fund. The Government is also taking action to improve equal access through unprecedented investment in grassroots facilities, with more than 2,200 projects already delivered across the UK.
Bringing her experience and industry knowledge, Carney will join the meeting to hear what has been delivered so far when it comes to improving the talent pipeline and tackling the lack of diversity in women's football.
Karen Carney MBE said:
It is great to see how far we have come and the commitment the Government has made to women's football, but we cannot become complacent. I hope that the implementation team will ensure that further progress can be made at a faster pace, and work to implement the review recommendations.
I am encouraged to see a wide range of stakeholders involved. Through collaboration, investment and hard work, I truly believe we can make this sport a world leader in every aspect, from standards of play to access to fans and employment opportunities for women. The growth of women's sport represents a broader movement towards equality and I am proud to be part of it.
Three additional independents have also joined the group to provide knowledge and guidance: Kelly Simmons, sports consultant and board advisor; Jane Burdon, manager and consultant in both football and rugby; and Deborah Dilworth, Head of Women's Football at the Syrian Football Federation.
In her review, Carney outlined the importance of raising minimum standards, particularly considering salaries, training facilities and mental and physical health. During the meeting, the new officials and the FA are expected to outline the initial steps they are taking to provide a fully professional environment.
As well as driving progress in women's football, the government is committed to raising standards in all women's sports. Minister for Sport Stuart Andrew today chaired the first meeting of the Women's Sport Governing Council, bringing industry and academic leaders together.
The Board will connect relevant leaders from across women's sport to exchange ideas and consider future opportunities to help women's sport continue to grow in a sustainable way, with a particular focus on the elite and professional levels.
Sports Minister Stuart Andrew said:
It has been great to see women's and girls' sports on an upward trajectory over the past few years, but we know there is more to do.
We have listened to the recommendations in the Karen Review and brought together key stakeholders from across women's sport to share best practice on the issues faced by female athletes.
We want to create a shared vision across women's and girls' sport, and help it go from strength to strength.
Attendees at the first meeting will include representatives from Sport England, UK Sport and the UK Institute of Sport, along with experts from FIFA, the Concussion Research Forum, The Well HQ and others. Karen Carney MBE and Barbara Slater, Director of BBC Sport, will also join as independent members. The establishment of the Board of Directors also comes on the recommendation of the Women's Football Journal.
The discussion is expected to focus on the physical well-being of female athletes including issues such as anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries and concussions, as well as the impact of female health life stages on the athlete.
Future meetings will focus on topics including sustainable investment in women's sport, physical and mental health and support, helping to create new opportunities and allow women's sport to achieve its full potential.
It comes as a review into women's football highlighted the lack of best practice sharing between sports on issues affecting elite female athletes. It is estimated that only 6% of exercise and scientific research includes women, demonstrating a great need for research based solely on women.
Notes to editors
- One of the recommendations in the women's football review was for the government to meet its recent commitments on equal access to school sports for girls. Last week, the Department for Education published brand new guidance for schools to promote equal access to school sports and physical education.
- The new guidance provides inspiration for schools to deliver inclusive, high-quality sport for all pupils and outlines how schools can remove barriers to participation in physical education, such as building relationships with local and national sporting bodies.
- Membership of the Women's Football Review Implementation Group: Mark Bullingham, Chief Executive of the Football Association (FA); Baroness Sue Campbell, Director of Women's Football, Football Association (FA); Niki Doucet, CEO of NewCo; Claire Sumner, Chief Policy and Corporate Affairs Officer, Premier League; Maheta Molango, CEO of the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA); Rick Barry, Chairman of the English Football League (EFL); Ken Scott, Interim Chief Executive of the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA); Patrick Brosnan, Sports England's strategic lead; Robert Sullivan, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation; Matthew Hopkinson, PhD, Education Administration; Deborah Dilworth, Chair of Women's Football, Football Supporters' Association (FSA), Member of the Expert Panel to Review Women's Football; Karen Carney MBE, former professional, head of review, and sports analyst; Kelly Simmons OBE, Sports Consultant and Board Advisor; Jane Burdon, Football and Rugby Manager and Consultant.
- Women's Sport Board Membership: Hazel McCloskey, Strategic Leadership for Business Transformation, Sport England; Stuart Pickering, Head of Performance Partnerships, UK Sport; Matt Archibald, National Director, UK Sport Institute; Dr Pippa Bennett, Director of Clinical Governance, UK Sport Institute; Dr Jaideep Gupte, Director of Research, Strategy and Innovation (Arts and Humanities Research Council), UK Research and Innovation; Fiona Semple, Director of Athlete Support, British Elite Athletes Association; Liz Bloor, Chair of the ATP Women's Sports Committee; Joe Maher, Vice-Chancellor for Sport, Loughborough University; Karen Carney MBE, former professional footballer and Chair of the Women's Football Review Committee; Barbara Slater, BBC Sports Director; Tammy Parlor, CEO of the Women's Sports Fund; Fran Connolly, CEO of England Netball; Alex Tisdale, England Rugby's Director of Women's Games; Kay Cossington, Women's Technical Director, FA; Tommy Yule, Head of Performance, UK Athletics; John Dutton, CEO of British Cycling; Dr. Rob Buckle, President of the Concussion Research Forum; Buzz Moffat, CEO of The Well HQ; Nadine Kessler, Director General of Women's Football, UEFA; Belinda Wilson, Senior Director of Women's Football Technical Development, FIFA; Georgie Bruenfels, Ph.D. research scientist and sports leader at Orreco; Marianne Holliday, Deputy Director of Women's Health, Department of Health and Social Care.
