France's push for a professional women's game

Improved governance and club structures, as well as a focus on enhancing player performance, are driving a transformation in French women's football.

Central to this has been the establishment of the Ligue Féminine de Football Professionnel (LFFP) – which began overseeing the Première Ligue and Seconde Ligue in July 2024 – as the French Football Federation (FFF) look to elevate the women's game in the country.

Backed by UEFA's HatTrick programme, the FFF and LFFP have been able to lay the foundations for a professional and sustainable women's football ecosystem that benefits players at a domestic and international level.

Raising standards through club licensing

The FFF is focused on ensuring more teams operate at an elite level, taking inspiration from OL Lyonnes, formerly Olympique Lyonnais, who as one of the most successful teams in European women's football have won a record eight UEFA Women's Champions League titles.

The LFFP has implemented not only professionalised governance structures but also a new club licensing system. By meeting high standards in infrastructure, staffing and medical provision, clubs in the Première Ligue and Seconde Ligue can earn a licence and receive financial subsidies. Only Première Ligue clubs who meet the highest level of standards can open a training academy, guaranteeing a professional structure for youth players.

From next season, the best-performing clubs across the LFFP's four strategic pillars will also earn further financial incentives. "A major objective of ours is to have a very competitive league," said LFFP vice-president Andreea Koenig at UEFA's recent Business Case for Women's Football event.

Andreea Koenig, Vice President of Ligue Feminine de Football Professionnel, speaks during the UEFA Business Case for Womens Football 2025 in Lisbon.UEFA via Getty Images

"It goes hand in hand with the objective of bringing people to the stadium. People love jeopardy and hope. It creates a virtuous cycle. The more people that come to witness this jeopardy, the more the broadcasters and sponsors are interested.

"In order to do this, all our revenues are distributed equally. There's no distribution based on the ranking at the end of the season. We've also consolidated our licensing system, which requires professionalisation at all levels."

Tools to enhance performance and increase visibility

Beyond licensing and revenue distribution, the LFFP also provides clubs with tools to enhance player performance. Every club in France's top two divisions now has access to video analysis tools, as well as advanced player support and medical monitoring.

A secure medical file is created for each player, strengthening the medical link between clubs and national teams – a boost for the entire country's women's football ecosystem.

To ensure the development of the women's game is not just happening on the pitch, the LFFP is also working with a specialised agency to build a dedicated communication strategy that will celebrate the league and its players, attracting more sponsorship and an ever-growing audience.

"We are trying to bring lots of facets of women's football together and develop, but it's very important for us to go slowly but surely," Koenig said. "It's not about speed, it's about what we're doing and the people we do it with."

With the vast majority of France's squad for UEFA Women's EURO 2025 playing in their homeland – from Lyon's Selma Bacha to Paris Saint-Germain's Sakina Karchaoui – the impact of France's professionalisation journey may well bear fruit in Switzerland this summer.