A new era of success for Norwegian women's football

Why is this a priority?

Women's football has experienced explosive international growth recently, with increasing interest and professionalism. Norway has a long and proud history of pioneering international women's football, and we have high participation numbers in girls' football. While we take pride in our legacy, we must evolve to compete under new and tougher conditions. Many nations have made significant sporting and financial investments in women's football.

This will not hold us back—on the contrary, it will motivate us to find new competitive advantages that can lead to future successes and triumphs for Norwegian women's football.

Our goal for the upcoming strategic period is clear: We will increase the number of girls playing football and strengthen our international standing, both at the club level and with the national team. To succeed, we must develop girls' and women's football on their own terms, with an approach that meets their unique needs.

Girls' football

Football is by far the most popular sport for girls in Norway, with 124,000 active members. However, despite strong participation numbers, we have seen a decline in players aged 13–19 in recent years from an already vulnerable starting point. Overall, women's representation in football remains low, a trend we are determined to reverse.

Today, many girls who aspire to pursue football at a high-level experience significant pressure, while those who play primarily for social and recreational reasons often struggle to find stable teams. To address this, we must recruit more girls into football at an early age and ensure they stay in the game longer. At the same time, we must make a concerted effort to include more girls from multicultural backgrounds, ensuring that football remains an inclusive and welcoming community for all.

The popular UEFA Playmakers programme will be expanded and strengthened. In addition to introducing more new girls to football, over 1,000 young girls have already gained coaching experience through Playmakers. If we are to realise our ambition for Norwegian girls' and women's football, we must invest in coaching expertise—including increasing the number of female coaches. Only 13% (1 in 10) of all coaches are women.

The regional football associations will play a key role in strengthening girls' football by developing plans and initiatives to help recruit and retain more female players. This work will be an integral part of the comprehensive strategy for girls' and women's football, which will be developed in 2025–2026.

This is also reflected in the Game Changer of increasing the number of female players and members to 150,000.

Elite football

As part of our tripartite agreement with Norsk Toppfotball (NTF) and Toppfotball Kvinner (TFK), we will encourage elite clubs on both the men's and women's sides to collaborate and establish academies that provide equal development opportunities for both genders.

At the same time, Toppserien and the 1st Division will be further developed with a strong focus on increasing attendance and revenue, making the leagues more attractive and competitive.

The upcoming tournaments for the women's national team, where the goal is to reach the knockout stages, and the UEFA Women's Champions League final at Ullevaal in 2026, will be used as powerful tools to increase interest and engagement in women's football.

Additionally, we will develop strong expertise in women's health and performance, ensuring that female players receive the support they need throughout all life stages. The goal is to enhance their well-being and performance on the pitch.