The third and final module of the second edition of FIFA’s Female Leadership Development Programme (FLDP) begins in Amsterdam this Monday 6 February.

The initiative was introduced by the world football governing body to increase the number of female leaders and role models within football. It is one of the women’s football development programmes that FIFA offers to its Member Associations and is consistent with its ten key development principles for the women’s game. It follows the inaugural FIFA Women’s Football and Leadership Conference in March 2015, where experts from football, business and society came together to discuss ways to improve the representation of women in leadership positions.

"The FIFA Female Leadership Development Programme has created a network of like-minded women, which is a great achievement,” said Fran Hilton-Smith after the first edition of the FLDP. “We need to continue to share our stories so that we, and future generations of women, continue to learn from each other. And now the cherry on the top is that we have people in Zurich in FIFA’s development team who are there to support us too, so we are no longer alone.” The inaugural edition of the programme took place in 2015/16 and received positive feedback from the first batch of participants who graduated in March last year.

Encouraged by this success, FIFA decided to offer a second edition. The aim of the programme is to ensure that there are more and more female leaders ready to take their place in the upper echelons of football. The inclusion of women on executive committees at every Member Association will enhance leadership efforts and ultimately improve the game as a whole.

The success of the programme was made clear by the number of applications for the second edition now drawing to a close in Amsterdam after Modules I and II were held in Zurich on 6-9 June and 5-8 September 2016. More than 80 of FIFA’s 211 Member Associations submitted applications for just 35 available places.

Participants in the second edition have been following a special teaching plan designed to strengthen their leadership skills. A key part of this plan is a personal project selected by each individual participant dubbed ‘The Accelerator’. This project should have a decisive impact on the footballing world and demonstrate the attendee’s leadership vision.

Participants also have the opportunity to receive advice and support from experienced mentors. The 2016 FLDP consists of a total of six elements: a leadership questionnaire, two or three workshops in each four-day module, a personal project (‘The Accelerator’), mentoring, leadership coaching and off-campus activities.

"I am really looking forward to meeting this group of incredible women again and sharing in their successes,” said Sarai Bareman, FIFA’s Chief Women’s Football Officer. "For me, the most important aspect of this final module is empowering the participants to put into practice all that they have learned over the past year in their work, their lives and particularly in football."

Further information about the programme can be found here.