体坛英语新闻：UEFA launch first women's football strategy

PARIS, May 17 (Xinhua) -- UEFA on Friday announced the launch of a dedicated women's football strategy for the first time, aiming at doubling number of female players in Europe by 2024.

"Women's football is the football of today. It is not the football of tomorrow," emphasized UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin.

UEFA women's football strategy, called Time for Action, will try to give European women's football the best possible platform to thrive, and invest in programs and initiatives to support a balanced delivery of this plan from grassroots to elite levels.

"UEFA will put significant financial investment into the sport, underlining that it dares to aim high and make European football as great as it can be. Time for action," said Ceferin.

UEFA hope to double the number of women and girls playing football in member associations to 2.5 million, the reach and value of the UEFA Women's EURO and the UEFA Women's Champions League, and female representation on all UEFA bodies in five-year time.

The aims also include changing the perceptions of women's football across Europe, and improving player standards by reaching standard agreements for national team players and putting safeguarding policies in place in all member associations.

"This strategy will champion, innovate and accelerate women's football for all so that every women and girl can have a love and affinity for football whether as a player, coach, referee, administrator or fan," said Nadine Kessler, UEFA's head of women's football.

"Every girl, regardless of talent, deserves a place to play football and the possibility to strive for the impossible without limitation," she added.