Sixteen organisations from around the world, three of which are national football associations, to receive funding as part of the first call for project co-financed under the Sport for Women’s Empowerment programme. The programme is the result of collaboration between FIFA and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, and is implemented by the NGO La Guilde. The programme contributes to the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. It is also aligned with Germany’s feminist development policy, which develops a sports-based approach to gender equality, and the FIFA Women’s Development Programme, which aims to foster the growth of women’s football.

Following the call for projects launched on 2 November 2023, 200 organisations across 30 of the GIZ’s partner countries submitted project proposals. One of the requirements of the call for proposals was that the projects needed to demonstrate how sport would be used as a tool to combat gender inequality, tackle gender-based and sexual violence, or empower and strengthen the role of women. The 16 successful projects aim to combat gender inequality and facilitate women’s access to leadership positions, professional integration, life skills and health through sport. Among the 16 projects, the three shortlisted from FIFA member associations are from the Togolese Football Association, the Football Association of Indonesia and the Ghana Football Association. The successful entities are:

The list features ten football-specific projects, four multisport projects, one rugby project and one volleyball project. Of these projects, seven are in Africa, three in Asia, two in Latin America, two in the Middle East and two in the Western Balkans.

“We are very excited about the huge number of applicants; all of them organisations using the power of sport to improve gender equality in their communities,” said Jens Elsner, Head of the GIZ’s Global Programme. “I am convinced that the winning organisations will make an impact by reaching out to young people and letting them experience that change towards a more inclusive and equal society is possible.” Sarai Bareman, FIFA Chief Women’s Football Officer said: “FIFA is dedicated to increasing female representation and diversity in football, at all levels, on and off the pitch, and this initiative is a great example of how we can create more opportunities for women through collaborating with others.

“Women’s football is one of the most powerful platforms we have at our disposal to improve the lives of girls and women, so I am excited to see that three of our member associations, along with 13 other organisations from around the globe will receive funding as part of the first project co-financed under the Sport for Women’s Empowerment programme.” * Subject to validation of Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) due diligence. ** Subject to validation of Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) due diligence and subject to receiving letters of commitment from partners schools.