Women’s EURO 2025 Innovation Programme: Solving challenges in the women’s game

The UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 Innovation Programme is a bold initiative designed to help the European football community address real-world challenges in women’s grassroots football.

By bringing together commercial partners, Swiss academic institutions, the Swiss Football Association (SFA) and local football communities, the programme is testing new ideas and creating scalable solutions that can shape the future of the game across Europe.

Setting the scene for innovation and collaboration

The Innovation Programme is rooted in UEFA’s Unstoppable strategy for women’s football, which aims to secure a vibrant and sustainable future for the game across Europe.

The programme’s mission is clear – to explore how innovation can support the development of grassroots women’s football throughout Europe, while leveraging Switzerland as a testing ground and taking advantage from the world-renowned innovation institutions located in the country.

A multi-stakeholder approach was adopted to bring this vision to life, led by the UEFA women’s football unit and Innovation Hub.

The programme also brings together Swiss academic institutions, commercial partners and the SFA, whose pivotal role ensured each pilot was grounded in real-world needs and tested through local Swiss grassroots clubs and communities.

Each of the four pilot projects was co-developed by academic institutions in collaboration with either a UEFA partner or UEFA itself, with funding dedicated to each one. These collaborations tackled specific barriers to participation in women’s football.

The pilot projects were presented at an innovation showcase event in BaselMonika Majer/UEFA via Getty Images

The innovation showcase

The culmination of this work was celebrated at the innovation showcase, held on 27 July at the Messe Congress Centre in Basel, ahead of the Women’s EURO 2025 final.

The event featured panel discussions with project leads and partners, providing a platform to share insights on the respective collaborations, the developed prototypes and early results with key European football stakeholders, representatives from Women’s EURO commercial partners and local stakeholders.

Once the testing phase of these pilot projects is complete, impact data and reports will be published.

Pilot projects

HEAD x UEFA: Interior equalities – redesigning the changing room experience

Challenge: How can we optimise existing grassroots football facilities to make them more welcoming and inclusive for female players?

Solution: In collaboration with the Geneva University of Art and Design (HEAD), we explored how the design of changing rooms impacts the experience of female footballers. Research involving over 70% female respondents revealed that 83% identified lack of space as the primary issue.

Various innovative design concepts were shaped through market research, VR design simulation, and on-site interviews. They resulted in developing modular storage and hanging solutions to maximize vertical space, and reconfigurable seating and storage to improve functionality.

With the help of the SFA, the pilot was implemented at SC Worb in Bern, home to Femina Kickers Worb – the largest independent women’s football club in Switzerland. The renovated space now features functional and flexible storage, ergonomic furniture, mirrors and improved lighting, creating a more welcoming and inclusive environment.

With ongoing feedback collected from teenage girls aged 15 to 19 from Femina Kickers, this user-centred approach ensures the solution is both practical and impactful.

UNIGE x adidas: Coaching styles and player retention

Challenge: What coaching styles motivate or demotivate young players, and how do they affect dropout rates?

Solution: This project between adidas and the University of Geneva explores how coaching styles influence adolescent football players, with a focus on girls, and highlights gender-specific dynamics affecting player engagement.

Using online surveys, the study examines the psychological impact of coaching, guided by Self-Determination Theory, which highlights the importance of autonomy, competence, and social relationships.

UNIGE and adidas are exploring how different coaching styles can motivate players

With the SFA's support in validating the research protocol and enabling its rollout across a sample of Swiss local clubs, a first wave of preliminary data from coaches and youth players was collected, yielding promising insights underscoring the potential of the methodology to inform scalable, evidence-based coaching strategies.

The findings will aim at informing future coach education programmes and at supporting national associations in fostering more inclusive and motivating environments, helping to retain young players, especially girls, in the game.

HEIG-VD x Amazon: Recruiting the next generation of female coaches

Challenge: How can we increase interest and enrolment in women’s coaching opportunities?

Solution: Led by HEIG-VD's Media Engineering Institute, in collaboration with Amazon, this project raises awareness and sparks interest in coaching programmes among young women aged 17-25 across Switzerland.

At its core is a pilot website featuring an interactive coaching simulation, a starter toolkit and a vibrant visual identity designed to inspire potential coaches. A physical poster campaign complements the digital experience, using mirrors and QR codes to invite women to see themselves in coaching roles.

HEIG-VD and Amazon are looking to inspire a new generation of female coaches

During the pilot phase, the SFA has contributed its expertise in coaching development to ensure the content reflects the realities of the Swiss football landscape and access to coaching opportunities in the country.

Together, these elements form a compelling call to action – encouraging more women to step confidently into leadership on the sidelines.

ETH Zurich GTC x Disney: Keeping girls in the game

Challenge: How can we help girls graduating the UEFA Playmakers programme stay active and engaged in football?

Solution: In collaboration with Disney and UEFA, ETH Zurich’s Game Technology Centre developed a mobile app prototype to help girls aged eight to eleven stay engaged in football after completing the UEFA Playmakers programme.

Building on the storytelling magic of Disney and the physical activity focus of Playmakers, the app blends narrative-driven gameplay with football-themed exercises, guided by parents and designed to be completed with their young girls, at home or outdoors.

The experience, centred around much-loved Disney’s Stitch character, is structured into six progressive sessions that promote movement, fun, and a sense of achievement, without relying on screen time or competition.

With support from the SFA, the app is currently being tested and refined with parents from active Playmakers clubs in Switzerland. Promising early feedback from parents and girls has been collected.

This initiative highlights how creative partnerships can unlock new, scalable ways to keep girls active in football.