ISLAMABAD, 14 September, 2026 (Kamran Raja): The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) has launched its Pakistan Women’s Football Strategy 2026–2030 under the theme “From Paper to the Pitch,” establishing a national framework to develop women’s football from grassroots participation to the elite level and create sustainable pathways for players, coaches, referees, administrators and leaders. The strategy is based on five pillars: Participation and Competitions; Player Development and High-Performance; Education and Capacity Development; Visibility, Engagement and Growth; and Governance and Leadership. PFF President Syed Mohsen Gilani described the launch as a historic moment, saying Pakistan’s women’s team has participated in a FIFA event and is now ranked higher than the men’s team. He said the strategy would focus on improving national team performance, investing in youth development and creating a broader ecosystem for women’s football.
Head of Women’s Football Mejzgaan Orakzai said the strategy aims to establish a connected pathway enabling girls to progress from schools, clubs and academies to the national team. It proposes expanded grassroots and youth competitions, national, provincial and district women’s leagues, a player registration system and a national talent identification framework. The strategy also proposes Regional Training Centres, national youth programmes, regular international exposure and at least 10 international matches annually for the senior national team. It targets the training and certification of at least 250 female coaches across four regions and increasing registered female referees to 100, while outreach programmes aim to reach at least 2,000 girls annually. The governance pillar focuses on greater representation of women in leadership, professionalisation of clubs and leagues, stronger monitoring and reporting, safeguarding and player welfare. PFF officials and government representatives welcomed the initiative and stressed the importance of youth development and identifying talent in smaller towns as well as major cities. Looking towards 2030, the strategy aims to increase female participation, expand opportunities for women across all areas of football and create a professional, accountable and safe environment while nurturing talent from grassroots to elite level.