The French Football Federation strives to promote gender diversity, access to women’s responsibility in the world of football, and support all of its decentralized structures. In this context, at the beginning of the 2017-2018 season, it launched an accompanying program in collaboration with the Football Training Institute (IFF): Le Club des 100 femmes dirigeantes (The Club of 100 women leaders).
Brief outline of the initiative
The 100 Women Leaders Club is one of the main actions of the federal plan for feminization implemented since 2011 by the Federation under the impetus of its president Noël Le Graët. It is in fact a continuation of “Ladies, cross the barrier!”, the FFF’s flagship operation launched in 2012 and aimed at increasing the number of women on club boards
Designed to bring together and support 100 women with leadership responsibilities within a league, a district and/or a club,”Le Club” aims to create and nurture a reservoir of women ready to take on responsibilities in football in France.
Every year since then, 25 women -identified and proposed by the league and district presidents- who currently have responsibilities within these bodies or a club, take part in various modules:
- three modules on personal development (increasing one’s fluency and self-confidence, communication skills, role playing …);
- five modules of the Federal Leaders Leadership Course, delivered within leagues and districts (Project Management / Club Management, Conducting Meetings and Public Speaking …)
- a financial management module (practical case in the framework of the organization of a football tournament).
The programme is on its 4th year and it is anticipated that the objective of 100 women leaders will be reached by the end of 2020-2021.
Duration
9*2 days modules
Frequency
Yearly batch
Funding
Covered by the Federation
Budget
N/A
Key elements
Target
Women only
Country of origin
France
Country/Region of implementation
France
Number of participants
100 (25 joining each year)
Core objective of the Programme
☒ Women empowerment (identifying barriers and working on strengths, creating a community)
☐ Supporting organizational change (strategy for developing diversity, implementation of specific policies, support to change makers)
☐ Allies buy-in and support (mentors, men championing)
☐ External Scrutiny (Pledge board, Indicators, celebration of success…)
☐ Other => Please specify:
Actions implemented
☐ Internal Diversity & Inclusion Strategy for a safe workplace with equal rights
☐ Commitment of men - please specify: 20% men included in the program
☐ Personal development training
☐ Role model highlighted
☒ Networking (women network, men network or mixed)
☐ Mentoring (unique or mixed gender, please specify)
☒ Coaching (ability to inspire and grow people/Foster emulation/ Being influential)
☐ Events (sharing with other companies) - please specify:
☐ Other - please specify:
Format
☐ Online e-learning Module
☐ Online seminar
☒ Workshops
☐ Conference
☐ Self-Assessment tool
☒ Consolidated educational/training programme
☐ Other, please specify:
Identified Key Success Factors
- Embedded in the Federation Strategy
- Capitalizing on cohort involvement
- Involving regional and local level in identifying emerging leaders
Transferable bites/elements
- Strategy to identify the pool of emerging leaders with local level involved
- Branding of the initiative as a special networking and learning community
Testimonials
Source of information: Online documentation
An initiative selected as a case study of the SWinG library of leadership development initiatives.
