50 years, 50 faces

On March 29, 1970, the FFF recognised women's football, making it accessible to women in France. Fifty years later, the bar of 200,000 female players has just been passed. This boom is due in particular to the commitment of several people.

The dramatic context of the health crisis that France is going through, like the rest of the world, makes this anniversary special. But it was difficult to conceal it. Fifty years ago to the day, on Sunday March 29th, 1970, the FFF Federal Council meeting in Cannes and presided over by Jacques Georges, officially recognised women's football, opening club doors to female members. Women did not have to wait to play football, as the first all-female match in France dates back to 1917. But they had to fight to obtain this right to play freely, even though the Vichy Regime, for example, had decreed in 1941 that the practice of football was harmful to women.

In 1970-1971, the FFF had just over 2,000 license holders. A season that saw the appearance of the French women's team. Mainly made up of players from Reims, the pioneering club, Les Bleues played their first match in Hazebrouk against the Netherlands (4-0) on April 17, 1971 in front of a handful of spectators. At the head, Pierre Geoffroy, also coach of the Champagne club, was the first coach.

From 2000 to 200,191 license holders 

Several stages enabled the discipline to develop, such as the establishment of the French Championship in 1974, the development of European (European Championship from 1984) and international competitions (Women's World Cup officially launched in 1991), the structuring of French clubs (ASJ Soyaux, VGA Saint-Maur, FCF Juvisy, FC Lyon...) and the consequent investment of some of them (Montpellier, Olympique Lyonnais, Paris Saint-Germain...).

The feminisation plan launched in 2012, under the impetus of FFF President Noël Le Graët, and entrusted to Brigitte Henriques, then General Secretary and now Deputy Vice-President, has been decisive in recent years. It has made it possible to make the practice accessible throughout the country and to promote the advancement of women in all football families (players, coaches, referees, managers).

At the top of the pyramid, in terms of elite level, it has made a significant contribution to the formation of French women's football - the FFF now has 8 women's U divisions - and its influence on the international scene, whether with French teams or French representatives in the Champions League, notably Lyon (6 Champions League titles, a record) or PSG. The organisation of the Women's World Cup in 2019, which has been hailed, has also contributed to passing a milestone. Today, the FFF is pleased to announce that the symbolic threshold of 200,000 license holders has been crossed. Since 2010-2011, the total number of FFF members has increased 2.4-fold from 81,953 to 200,191.

Key figures

As of March 29 2020, here are the figures to remember:

• 200,191 license holders, of which :
  • 158,364 female players;
  • 1,635 coaches;
  • 1,166 referees;
  • 37,074 female executives

Change in the number of redundancies since 2010-2011 :

• 2010-2011 : 81 953
• 2011-2012 : 87 880
• 2012-2013 : 97 890
• 2013-2014 : 106 235
• 2014-2015 : 121 796
• 2015-2016 : 142 442
• 2016-2017 : 159 359
• 2017-2018 : 165 014
• 2018-2019 : 184 216
• 2019-2020 : 200 191