NYON, Switzerland — On Wednesday, UEFA announced its commitment to invest 1 billion euros (approximately $1.08 billion) into women’s soccer over the next six years as part of an extensive plan to enhance the sport across Europe.

The organization aims to achieve the goal of making “football the most-played team sport for women and girls in every European country.” This ambitious initiative also seeks to increase the number of fully professional national leagues from three to six and expand the number of professional players from 3,000 to 5,000.

UEFA’s director of women’s soccer, Nadine Kessler, emphasized in a statement that the organization is dedicated to continuous investment and collaboration with European national associations, leagues, clubs, players, supporters, and partners to elevate the game.

The plan, termed “Unstoppable,” focuses on creating opportunities for women and girls to engage in the sport as players, coaches, and referees, starting from grassroots levels. Nonetheless, Kessler pointed out some ongoing challenges and barriers that hinder more girls and women from participating in soccer, as outlined in a 31-page strategy document.

The previous strategy from UEFA, introduced in 2019, aimed for a target of 2.5 million registered players across its 55 member associations, but the latest report indicated only 1.6 million registered players for the past season.

This season, the total prize money for clubs participating in the Women’s Champions League stands at 24 million euros ($26 million), with the majority coming from a 22 million euro ($23.9 million) subsidy from the men’s tournament, where 32 clubs will split at least 2.5 billion euros ($2.71 billion). Kessler acknowledged that numerous players still face difficulties in making a sustainable living from playing soccer.

The highlight of UEFA’s women’s soccer efforts is the European Championship, with the final in 2022 attracting 50 million viewers as England triumphed over Germany in London. The upcoming 2025 edition of the tournament is slated to take place in Switzerland.

According to the UEFA report, the 2023 Women’s Champions League final saw 5.1 million viewers tuning in as Barcelona secured a 3-2 victory against Wolfsburg.

European teams made an impressive showing at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, although Spain’s 1-0 defeat of England in the final received mixed attention due to controversy surrounding Luis Rubiales’ actions during the match in Sydney, Australia. Rubiales has since resigned from his position as president of the Spanish federation and from his role as a UEFA vice president. He has a pending appeal set for next week at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, concerning a three-year ban imposed by FIFA.

Part of UEFA’s billion-euro investment will include payments to the 55 member associations under its Hat Trick program, which is financed by the men’s European Championship. This program is expected to allocate a total of 66 million euros ($71.6 million) to its members for women’s soccer initiatives from 2024 to 2028.