The Football Association

A special event to celebrate Eid was hosted at Wembley Stadium this month, following the end of Ramadan, as part of our Faith and Football Series. Over 700 people from across the country attended the event in the stadium’s Bobby Moore Suite, including fans, coaches, referees, parents, volunteers, clubs and local organisations in and around Brent. You can read more about the event here: https://lnkd.in/eSUZ4wV9

The Football Associations of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have been confirmed by FIFA as the sole bidders to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2035. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/ebqjPTBt

We are proud to announce a three-year partnership with Hilton as our official hotel partner of our England teams. From hotel stay to matchday, Hilton will support our Three Lions and Lionesses home and away.  You can read more here: https://lnkd.in/erZsbRTk

We have launched a new series of Talent ID events to identify the next generation of match officials from Black, Asian & Mixed Heritage populations within The FA Centre of Refereeing Excellence (CORE) programme. We will be hosting six Talent ID showcase events across the country in April and May. The events, set to take place in Manchester, Leeds, Wolverhampton, Leicester, and two in London, will offer aspiring referees the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and ambition for officiating at the professional level. Find out more about the events here: https://lnkd.in/gN2j4ZME

His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, Patron of the Football Association, visited one of our referee training programmes yesterday. The course was part of our Reflective and Representative campaign which aims to recruit 1,000 people from Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage backgrounds over the next three years into referee roles. The courses, part of our landmark three-year refereeing strategy, combine theory and practical training to support those who are taking their first steps into officiating. Read more about the visit and the courses on offer here: https://lnkd.in/ePnxhnUv

This year’s Biggest Ever Football Session (BEFS) will take place across schools up and down the country on Friday 7 March. The flagship day in the calendar is central to our equal access in school ambition, and the 2025 edition will see a continuation of the hugely successful sessions that have taken place for the past four years, contributing to record-breaking increases in women’s and girls’ participation. Taking place the day before International Women’s Day, it will build on last year’s success which saw a record-breaking 475,000 girls from 5,000 schools across the country taking part. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/giNsWU5y

We have published guidance to support participants and employees across the footballing community during the holy month of Ramadan, which began on Friday 28 February and will last until Sunday 30 March 2025. The guide includes information on how fasting and other lifestyle changes during this period may impact participants across adult and youth football, with advice on exercise and nutrition for practising Muslims, as well as guidance for non-Muslim players and staff to ensure their footballing environment is as inclusive and welcoming as possible. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eV5rsVMY

Cheryl Foster MBE and Emily Carney have joined The FA in two new appointments to our refereeing division. Cheryl joins as our Senior Manager – Referee Progression, Pathways, and Development, whilst Emily will also be joining as our new national talent manager for women's refereeing. We welcome Cheryl and Emily into their new roles and you can read more here: https://lnkd.in/efihjyfZ

Women and girls don’t just belong in football. They are #MadeForThisGame Introducing our new campaign to unlock equal opportunities for all women and girls to access, participate and thrive in football. Find out more here: https://lnkd.in/eJpTPbCU

We have today published a new three-year plan that is specifically targeted at improving the representation of South Asians within English football. ‘Build, Connect, Support’ is an evolution of our previous Asian inclusion strategy, and it’s the first time that our organisation has published a plan which specifically focuses on making our game more accessible to the largest minority ethnic group in England. You can read our plan in full here: https://lnkd.in/eWhcmGMj