FOOTBALL: IFA aim for bigger and better with 'progressive' five-year corporate strategy
Last updated 27th Jan 2022
The Irish Football Association has published a 'progressive' new corporate strategy to guide its work over the next five years.
A Roadmap For Football – Irish FA Corporate Strategy 2022-27 - covers all aspects and levels of the game across Northern Ireland, from improving performance and participation levels to improving facilities, generating revenue, engagement, women’s and girls’ football and corporate social responsibility.
Chairman of the Irish FA Board, Stephen Martin, said: “This strategy is progressive and will require determined effort from everyone at the association supported by leagues, clubs and the entire football family
The strategy seeks to grow the number of boys and girls playing football, introducing them to its positive health and social benefits, and to improve Northern Ireland’s stadia and the spectator experience.
It will also include enhancing the system of coaching here and creating the conditions for more competition success with the senior men’s, senior women’s and other international teams.
Performing strongly on the international stage, transforming the football pyramid in Northern Ireland to support ambitious clubs and increasing the number of players, coaches, officials and administrators involved in football are also features of the strategy.
Building an international class national training and development centre is another goal as well as boosting facilities at all levels of the game, including improving playing surfaces used by teams at the top level.
The association is also aiming to generate revenues in excess of £100m over five years to reinvest in the game and to make the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park in Belfast a premium venue for conferences and other events.
Irish FA President Conrad Kirkwood said: “Football in Northern Ireland has the ability to cross all divides. It has the power to be a tool to bring about great change. It can help educate, promote health and wellbeing, and give everyone an unparalleled sense of belonging. Most importantly football can promote inclusivity like no other sport.
“The global Covid pandemic presented real challenges for each one of us. As we emerge from the worst of those challenges football – and the people with a passion for it – has a real opportunity to improve people’s lives. I hope that this strategy will be a roadmap to deliver those improvements,” he added
Other objectives include developing more partnerships and building excellent working relationships with Northern Ireland’s 11 councils and with the Northern Ireland Assembly - plus boosting the women’s game at all levels and becoming a leading organisation here when it comes to sustainability and championing equality, diversity and inclusion.
The association’s Chief Executive, Patrick Nelson, said: “The vision, mission and values contained in this strategy will give us daily reminders of why we are here and what is expected of us.”
The Irish FA consulted widely on the document’s contents. It staged up to 50 strategy workshops and working group meetings, and held several discussion forums with stakeholders across Northern Ireland.