Irish FA: New strategy for women’s and girl’s football in Northern Ireland launched
Pratt said the IFA will continue to develop the domestic leagues in partnership with the Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL) and the Northern Ireland Women’s Football Association (NIWFA), and they will “commit to our resources collectively.”
She said there is a “real focus” to strengthen the infrastructure of Northern Ireland clubs to improve the competitiveness of the domestic league.
In Northern Ireland’s 2022 European Final, 13 players played football in Northern Ireland’s Women’s Premier League.
That number dropped to just six in the National League matches in February, and most of Tanya Oxtoby’s teams are now trading in England or Scotland.
Asked if she saw women’s Premier League become a development league for players to move on the water, she said the IFA is working with Nifl and Niwfa to “review the women’s football pyramid.”
“This is one of the priorities we really focus on this year,” she added.
“I think it’s important to say that players are in a higher performance environment, and that’s beneficial for them because we make sure these players are exposed to higher game levels.
“That’s not to say we can’t be competitive here, there is a competitive opportunity here to ensure we strengthen that.”
