Kosovo Football Federation launches first women’s football strategy | OneFootball

Kosovo has made history as the FFK has launched its inaugural women’s football strategy. This will take effect throughout 2024, through to 2028 — a very welcoming sign of innovation in Kosovo.

In early October, a workshop took place in Kosovo. The workshop was headed by FIFA’s Sue Ronan, a technical consultant for women’s football, and Arbenita Morina, the women’s football development coordinator. Current and former Kosovan Olympians and national team players attended the gathering in Pristina.

FFK administrators and football coaches alongside government officials and stakeholders were also in attendance, signifying the importance.

The aim of the workshop was to define and agree on priorities for short, medium and long-term goals. These goals would create a successful strategy for Kosovo in the coming years.

The strategy is the first of its kind for Kosovo. This development comes following the successful FIFA and UEFA membership seven years ago. It will focus on several key areas and direct funding into specific programmes. The overarching outcome goal is for women’s participation in football to increase at every level in Kosovo.

What the strategy will effect in Kosovo

Other aspects of women’s football growth that will become focus areas are education for women’s players and national team development. There is also focus on elite player pathways and communication and marketing.

Furthermore, FIFA states: “The mission of the strategy is to empower every girl and woman through football, fostering their sporting and interpersonal skills, whilst challenging and reshaping societal perceptions in the country.”

The FFK head of women’s football, Valbona Gashi, elaborated on how finalising the strategy has been shaped over 12 months of planning.

“With the help of FIFA, we organised workshops where relevant stakeholders involved in girls’ football were invited,” she said at the event.

“[This] enabled us to make an analysis of the current situation and combined ideas and suggestions to create clear goals for the future. Doing this, we will create opportunities for the continuous development of girls’ football in future.”

The eventual outcome of the new investment and focus is not yet known. However, this official strategy marks a substantial commitment to women’s football in Kosovo.

Women’s football is continuously getting bigger everywhere in Europe. In light of that development, the football Federation of Kosovo is looking to facilitate that growth.

MORE from Her Football Hub: