Jersey Football Association Targets 75% Club Participation for Women’s and Girls’ Teams

The Jersey Football Association (JFA) has committed that 75% of football clubs on Jersey will feature women’s or girls’ teams by 2028. This pledge was made as the JFA unveiled its four-year business strategy, which details its “bold and ambitious” vision for the sport’s future on the island. Key initiatives within the strategy encompass enhancing access to training facilities, ensuring equal opportunities, addressing misconduct within the sport, and fostering a robust network of volunteers, coaches, and referees. Jimmy Kelly, who chairs the Jersey FA Board, described the strategy as “big and bold” and expressed his excitement “to see it unfold and become a reality over the next four years”. He further stated: “This strategy reflects our commitment to making our sport more inclusive, particularly for women and girls, and to champion further investment into sports facilities and infrastructure that will benefit the wider community.” Kelly added: “It’s already been a season of significant change for the Jersey Football Association, in the office, at board level and out on the pitch, and it’s therefore the perfect time to clearly lay out where our focus will be.” The FA also indicated that measures are planned to decrease the frequency of match postponements caused by adverse weather conditions, through the construction of two new 3G artificial pitches by 2028. Additionally, the association aims to improve “community wellbeing” by establishing itself as a prominent charity dedicated to mitigating social isolation. Tiff Sundby, a player for Jersey’s women’s team, expressed that she was “pleased to see an ambitious plan to deliver more opportunities for women and girls”. She added: “If these targets are met, the female game will be in a really strong place for our island.”