Abdul Jabbar Faisal
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) today launched its Pakistan Women’s Football Strategy 2026–2030, setting out 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.
Launched in Islamabad under the theme “From Paper to the Pitch,” the strategy is built around five interconnected pillars: Participation and Competitions; Player Development and High-Performance; Education and Capacity Development; Visibility, Engagement and Growth; and Governance and Leadership.
The strategy builds on an existing landscape of 62 registered clubs and academies, 673 registered female players, five certified women referees and the last AFC “A” Licence coaching course for women held in 2020.
PFF President Syed Mohsen Gilani said the launch came at a historic moment for women’s football in Pakistan.
“This is a historic year for Pakistan women’s football. Our women’s team has created history by participating in a FIFA event, and the women’s team is now ranked higher than the men’s team,” he said. “To all the players, coaches and staff who made this possible, everyone deserves our congratulations.”
Gilani said the strategy centred on three priorities: improving national team performance, investing in youth development, and creating a broader ecosystem for women’s football.
“We need to produce players, but we also need coaches, referees, managers and leaders,” he said. “It is my pledge that we want to create an ecosystem for women’s football where they can become whatever they want to be within the game.”
He also highlighted the emphasis on women’s training through the PFF’s recent Football for Schools programme and the appointment of a woman as the federation’s safeguarding officer.
Presenting the strategy, Head of Women’s Football Mejzgaan Orakzai said its central ambition was to establish a connected pathway allowing girls to enter football at grassroots level and progress towards the national team.
“At its heart, this strategy is about developing women’s football from grassroots to the elite level,” Orakzai said. “The existing landscape is challenging, but there are great opportunities for growth. This is not about starting from zero; it is about building upon and strengthening what already exists.”
The strategy proposes expanded grassroots and youth competitions alongside a tiered national, provincial and district women’s league structure, supported by a comprehensive player registration system and a national talent identification framework.
“The pathway has to begin with access,” Orakzai said. “We want more girls playing football in schools, clubs and academies, more regular competitions, and a system that can identify talent wherever it exists.”
Under its Player Development and High-Performance pillar, the strategy proposes Regional Training Centres, national youth programmes and a Women’s National Team High-Performance Framework, with regular international exposure for youth teams and at least 10 international matches annually for the senior national team.
“High performance cannot be separated from the development system beneath it,” Orakzai said. “We need to identify players earlier, monitor their progression and provide them with the coaching, competition and support they need to reach the highest level.”
The Education and Capacity Development pillar includes a national women’s coach education pathway, referee development programmes and leadership opportunities for women. It targets the training and certification of at least 250 female coaches across four regions and an increase in registered female referees to 100.
The strategy also seeks to raise the profile and commercial appeal of women’s football through outreach, marketing, communications, media partnerships and fan engagement, with programmes designed to reach at least 2,000 girls annually across the four regions.
Its Governance and Leadership pillar focuses on greater representation of women in leadership, stronger monitoring and reporting, club and league professionalisation, and enhanced safeguarding and player welfare.
PFF Chief Operating Officer Shahid Khokhar said strategic planning was about aligning ambition with reality.
“As a student of strategic planning, it is important to create a plan that aligns your dreams and ambitions with reality,” he said.
PFF Technical Director Adeel Rizki said: “Youth football is very critical. What happens over the next three years will depend greatly on what happens with the youth,” Rizki said. “With proper planning and execution, we can have a very robust national system.”
Coordinator to the Prime Minister for the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination Syeda Mehreen Sajid welcomed the creation of a clear pathway while emphasising the need to reach talent beyond major cities.
“Building a pathway is amazing, because we can then see a plan and a direction,” she said. “I am hoping that you will cater to smaller towns as well as the bigger cities, because some amazing talent is hiding there.”
Looking towards 2030, the strategy envisions more girls participating in football, more players, coaches and referees entering the system, greater opportunities for women in leadership, and a football environment that is accountable, professional and safe.
The strategy’s mission is to develop women’s football into one of the leading sports for females in Pakistan while creating a comprehensive structure that nurtures talent from grassroots to elite level.
