England's FA Strategy to Grow Participation

A key element to the FA's five-year "Game Changer" strategy is to grow participation in throughout the pyramid of women's football. Football is England's top female team participation sport with the FA supporting 6,600 female teams (compared to 80 teams when the FA officially started governing the women's program in 1993). Women's football is the fourth largest team sport in England after men's team sports of football, rugby and cricket.

Growing female participation falls under the £43m FA National Game Strategy - a support structure that includes regional activations and investment programs that are targeted to grow the game, both male and female (image taken from the FA Plan document):

The FA conducts research to identify challenges specific to females and sport, while also working with research partner Women's Sport and Fitness Foundation.

In 2013, the FA will announce plans to work with Sport England and other key football partners and sponsors, with the goal to transition youth players to adult players, officials, volunteers and coaches.

 “There has been a huge amount of work done throughout the country by The FA and our partners to take the game to its current level. Our new commitment to women’s football moves the development on. The new investment has been carefully targeted to improve our domestic and international status and really drive the game forward.” - Kelly Simmons
FA Head of the National Game.

See below for the FA goals to 2018 to grow participation, as described in the FA Plan document: