On April 13th, the French Football Federation presented its women’s football plan including the professionalization of the D1 Arkema. The football scheme, the formation centers, and TV rights have also been discussed.
“An ambition, a plan, and actions [which] are part of a trajectory that will mark, I think, the history of women’s football.” Philippe Diallo, FFF’s interim president
NEW : The D1 Arkema play-offs!
From the 2023-24 season, the 4 best-ranked teams will face in playoffs: two semi-finals, a third-place game, and the final will determine the French champion and the UWCL qualifying spots. This new organization will undeniably bring more suspense.
A look at the 2023-24 season:
Trophée des championnes 2023*: September 10th 2023
D1 Arkema and D2 Féminine Round 1: September 17th 2023
French Women’s Cup final: May 4th, 2024
D1 Arkema Round 22: May 8th 2024
Play-off – D1 Arkema semi-finals: May 12th 2024
Play-off –D1 Arkema Third-place: May 18th 2024
Play-off – D1 Arkema final: May 19th 2024
D2 féminine Round 22: May 26th 2024
* The Trophée des Championnes opposes the winner of the French Championship and the winner of the French Cup. If a team makes the double, it will face the vice-French champion.
A women’s professional league from 2024:
The women’s professional league (D1 and D2) will be presented for approval to the Federal Assembly on June 10th, for effective entry on July 1, 2024. A collective agreement with the players is being finalized.
“Our ambition is to ensure that the FFF, the clubs, and the national team work together. With a triple ambition: a global ambition with the French team, a European ambition with the clubs […] and a national ambition to allow D1 Arkema to regain legitimacy, through audiences, attendance, and an even more attractive brand image.” Jean-Michel Aulas, EXCOM member.
This restructuring and professionalization of the D1 Arkema and the D2F aim to promote and develop (branding, partnership, and TV rights) and maintain the competitiveness of the French women’s championship in the face of European competition.
A new scheme in the French women’s football
The D1 Arkema and lower divisions are impacted. From the 2023-24 season, the D2F will become a 12-team single group. A third national division, the D3F, will gather 24 teams in two 12-team groups. The FFF also announced the creation of formation centers – eligible to play in the D3F.
Read more at: https://beyond90.com.au/a-new-level-in-the-french-womens-football-pyramid/
D1 Arkema clubs’ formation centers (U16 to U20 players) could play in the D3F. Interested clubs have to apply while respecting similar specifications to men’s formation centers. On this day, Girondins de Bordeaux, FC Fleury 91, Olympique Lyonnais, Montpellier HSC, Paris Saint-Germain, and Paris FC already did for an agreement on July 2023.
License club
The FFF will increase its endowments from 20% to 25%, representing an investment of 4 to 5 million euros for French women’s football.
An essential point of teams’ professionalization, the “Licence Club” splits into three labels: accession, excellence, and elite. Excellence and Elite labels are prerequisites for being accompanied by the FFF and entering the professional league.
To get the excellence label, a club must have a technical staff with a head coach, an assistant coach, a physical trainer, and a video analyst. The administrative team must be composed of an administrative officer, a social-educative referent, and a team manager. A doctor and a physiotherapist must be accreditated to the club. Finally, the club’s infrastructures must meet high-level requirements with training grounds, access to a training center, a treatment room, a medical office, and locker rooms for players and staff.
To obtain the elite label, the club must fulfill the previous conditions and have a minimum of eleven federal contracts in its first team and open a formation center.
TV-rights
The FFF will operate improvements for players, spectators, and viewers, with obligations imposed on clubs concerning lighting, the quality of grasses, platforms for cameras, and covered stands for broadcasting.
The FFF launched a call for tenders for the 2023-2027 period, including TV rights for all games of the French WNT; TV rights from 10 to 100% games of D1 Arkema per season, and TV rights for the 2024-2027’s Trophée des Championnes.
