At the core of building Club Women’s Football in Africa is capacity building initiatives aimed at empowering women Club Administrators who are involved in Women’s Football in CAF Member Associations.
The series of workshops is being rolled out in-person across three zonal unions during the ongoing qualifiers for the CAF Women’s Champions League 2024. One zone will host the workshop online. The workshop for the WAFU A Zone was held in Sierra Leone between 06 – 07 with 30 participants in attendance.
The workshop is designed to equip women’s football club administrators with the essential skills needed to excel in various aspects of club management. Key topics of focus include:
- General information on African Football Structure
- Club structure, Governance and Administration of Football Clubs
- CAF Club Licensing
- Community Engagement and Communications
- Fundraising, Marketing and Sponsorship
- Volunteers and Creating Partnership
- Contract and Transfers
- FIFA and CAF Online Football Platforms
The City of Bouake in Côte d’Ivoire hosted the workshop for the WAFU B zone between 15 – 16, with 22 administrators from various clubs participating in the WAFU B Qualifiers and women’s football clubs from Bouake taking part. The UNAF zone is currently hosting the workshop in Algeria between 27 – 28 August, while the COSAFA zone will roll out their program online.
This strategic initiative, a collaboration between the CAF Women’s Football Development Department and the CAF Professional Football Department, marks a significant step in the governing body’s commitment to enhancing the quality of women’s football in Africa, both on and off the pitch.
Meskerem Goshime, Head of Women’s Football at CAF said: “CAF is fully committed to the advancement of women’s football. This recent collaboration with the Zonal Unions marks a significant step in our ongoing mission to strengthen the skills and expertise of women’s club administrators and to elevate the standards of women’s football across the African continent. We are confident that this program will provide football club administrators with the necessary tools and expertise to elevate the standard of women’s football. As a result, this improvement will boost the competitiveness and global recognition of women’s clubs in a positive and impactful way. To successfully achieve the CAF president’s Action Point 6, Develop and Graw women’s football, we will continue collaborating with all stakeholders to strengthen the women’s football landscape on the continent through capacity building and empowerment programmes.”
A New Era in African Women’s Football
The workshops are being conducted across the four zonal unions—CECAFA, COSAFA, UNIFFAC, UNAF, WAFU A, and WAFU B alongside the zonal qualifiers for the CAF Women’s Champions League, which serves as a platform for clubs to compete for a coveted spot in the prestigious tournament’s fourth edition.
The CAF Women’s Champions League, which will be held later this year, has rapidly grown since its inception, drawing global audiences and setting new records in stadium attendance and social media engagement. With top clubs like Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa), AS FAR (Morocco), and AS Mande (Mali) leading the charge, the upcoming edition promises to be another thrilling chapter in the history of African women’s football.