In 2023, Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand hosted their first major international football event: the FIFA Women’s World Cup™. With record-breaking attendance and viewership, the event highlighted the growing popularity of and support for women’s sport in Australia and is set to leave a lasting legacy that will benefit Australian football for years to come.
Football Australia (FA) had long prepared for the historic appointment as co-host of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, recognising the immense opportunity to harness the momentum generated by such an event, with a view to energising a football nation. In line with this conviction, shortly after being named co-host, FA launched a strategic plan titled XI Principles for the future of Australian football (the “XI Principles”).
The XI Principles take a holistic view of Australian football and the challenges it faces, setting out the strategic agenda for the future of the domestic game. The plan was carefully crafted to establish a solid platform on which to develop Australian football.
Strategic plans are a vital tool for any high-performing organisation. A good strategy sets out what an organisation is going to achieve and how it will go about it, while providing clear, coordinated and prioritised focus areas. Establishing a strategy motivates staff by providing a common purpose, and it engages and inspires external stakeholders.
The XI Principles offer a robust blueprint for long-term strategic planning within a football association. This document outlines how FA conceived its plan, engaged with stakeholders and structured its strategic initiatives, while it also highlights the valuable lessons that the association learned throughout the process.
FIFA encourages its member associations (MAs) to develop strong strategic plans with a view to promoting long-term thinking and steering their organisation, ambitions and activities in the right direction. By sharing these insights, our ultimate objective is to provide examples and ideas that can act as a source of inspiration.