The Irish Football Association’s Director of Women’s Football has been reflecting on the progress made within women’s football in Northern Ireland as she embraced International Women’s Day (today, 8 March).
In a blog to staff at the association, Angela Platt said 2024 sees the Irish FA enter the final year of its current girls’ and women’s football strategy, Growing the Game: Maximising Impact.
She said those involved in developing the strategy created a vision that has raised the profile and ensured greater opportunities for women and girls to play football in Northern Ireland.
“If we reflect on where the game was in 2019 to where it is today, it really has progressed so much in a short space of time. Thank you to everyone who played their part in that ambitious strategy and those who have continued to support our efforts to achieve the objectives within it,” she said.
But the Director of Women’s Football also insisted it was not a time to rest on laurels.
She said: “As we look to the future, the next strategy needs to be bold and ambitious, to ensure we build on that great work from the last five years and that we leave the game in a better place for the future.”
Platt revealed that during the coming months the association will be engaging in consultations with internal and external stakeholders to get their input into the development of the next strategy and in shaping a new vision for girls’ and women’s football here.
The theme of International Women’s Day this year is to ‘Inspire Inclusion’.
Platt, who is leading a working group tasked with developing the Irish FA’s first Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging and Equity (DIBE) Strategy, said: “This (theme) aligns so well with our diversity work as we work together to provide an environment where everyone feels a sense of belonging, relevance and empowerment.
“This internationally recognised day always gives us an opportunity to shine a light on and tip our hats to those women who have been pioneers, role models, key figures in communities and those behind the scenes who make football happen, as well as those male allies for supporting women in football.
“I hope everyone can take a moment to say thank you to those amazing women in your world.”
