The Anguilla Football Association (AFA) has launched a roadmap aimed at achieving balanced gender participation in football by the year 2030.
The Women and Girls Football Strategy (2025-2028) will feature the introduction of female-only coaching and refereeing courses, and targeted development initiatives for clubs and players.
It will also include enhanced support systems to ensure safe, inclusive and high-performance environments for all participants, AFA said in a press release on 28 December.
Get members-only articles and editorials, giveaways and discount codes with Anguilla Focus. Click here to join from just $4/month.
“This strategy reflects the remarkable growth of women’s football in Anguilla, where over 25% of all registered football participants are female, a figure that continues to rise,” AFA added.
“Through strategic investment and focused leadership over the past two to three years, the AFA has laid a strong foundation for sustainable growth across all levels of the female game.”
The strategy is supported by both FIFA and CONCACAF, ensuring alignment with international best practices, governance standards and long-term development objectives for women’s football.
Vision and strategic focus
The AFA’s long-term goal is for every club to field female teams at all age levels, providing clear pathways from grassroots football through to senior and international levels.
The four-year strategy prioritises player development, welfare, health and safeguarding, strengthening female clubs and competitions, and coaching education and referee development.
It will also focus on structured national team pathways, and increased visibility, marketing and commercial investment.
The Women and Girls Football Strategy (2025-2028) is specifically built around seven key pillars:
- Players: Enhancing training environments, welfare and development pathways
- Coaches: Developing exceptional female coaches through structured pathways
- Officials: Improving refereeing standards and match official experiences
- Competitions: Delivering high-quality leagues and development opportunities
- Clubs: Creating inclusive, player-centred club networks
- Commercial: Defining the female game’s value and attracting investment
- Marketing: Increasing exposure, attendance and engagement across leagues
“This plan serves as a practical framework to address challenges in the women’s game while unlocking opportunities for growth, sustainability and excellence,” AFA said.
Current football landscape
Women’s football in Anguilla continues to gain momentum, supported by measurable growth and participation.
It features:
- 182 registered female players
- Six women’s clubs
- One Senior Women’s League (42 games played in 2023)
- One Grassroots League
- Three school competitions
- Five junior schools (80 players)
- 10 high school teams (105 players)
- Seven senior teams and five youth teams currently active
- 39 female coaches (National D Licence – 24 and National C Licence – 15)
- 14 female referees, working across male and female competitions (seven currently active)
At the international level, Anguilla’s women’s national teams played 17 matches in 2023, with encouraging performances.
They were: Under-14 WNT: W4 D1 L1, Under-20 WNT: W2 D0 L3, and Senior WNT: W3 D1 L2.
