The recent boom in women’s football has seen many national club competitions around the world reach the kind of heights that were previously unimaginable. The success of the recent inaugural edition of the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup™ further underlined the commercial value of the women’s game, as well as opening a gateway for clubs everywhere to compete on the world stage. For nations seeking to further propel their local game, this growth provides inspiration as to what can be achieved with clear planning, adequate resourcing and a hunger to succeed. With that kind of ambition, the national associations of Romania and Uganda recently took part in pilot project editions of the FIFA Commercial Strategy programme. Both nations have committed to taking women’s football to the next level, with the pair selected to receive assistance and funding. The overarching aim of this programme – one of 13 available to all 211 Member Associations (MAs) around the world – seeks to create sustainable commercial women’s leagues through bespoke strategies. Both Romania and Uganda are hoping that the launch of their commercial strategies will turbocharge women’s football in their respective nations, providing an inspiration for many others to follow.

The Romanian Football Federation (FRF) presented their commercial strategy to key stakeholders at the launch at FRF’s Casa Fotbalului in the nation’s capital Bucharest during the first week of February. The strategy is dedicated exclusively to the Romanian Women’s SuperLiga, with the plan developed in conjunction with FIFA. The event was attended by representatives of FIFA, UEFA, Romanian men’s and women's football clubs, sponsors, media, renowned athletes and the president of the National Sports Agency.

Razvan Burleanu, FRF President and a FIFA Council Member, said: “Women's football has overcome the phase in which it could only be supported by energy, enthusiasm and punctual initiatives. Sports development must be accompanied by commercial development, and the Women's SuperLiga must be a product with value, a space for performance, inspiration and belonging. “The commercial strategy of the Women's SuperLiga starts from a clear need: building a sustainable monetisation model by transforming the competition into a media and community product with clear measurable deliverables capable of generating recurring revenues, growing audiences and value for partners, clubs and players.”

Ada Bonilla, Lead Women’s Football – Europe at FIFA, noted the landmark status of Romania’s commercial strategy, adding: “As President Burleanu remarked, not so long ago all of the registered women’s football players could fit in this auditorium where the event was held, and now there are more than 11,000 registered women’s players and over 100,000 participants in Romania, with the numbers increasing every year. It is a clear showcase of the extraordinary path of women’s football from informal roots to a truly global sport that draws attention and has vast economic potential.”

Sustainable commercial development was also the underlying focus when the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA), in partnership with FIFA, launched the FUFA Women Super League Commercial Strategy to an audience of around 150 attendees in the capital Kampala in mid-February. The initiative aims to strengthen commercial structures, enhance elite competitions and establish talent development pathways from grassroots to Super League level. The strategy seeks to unlock investment opportunities, professionalise clubs and improve player welfare while supporting governance reforms and leadership development for women across football.

It is the latest in a series of FIFA support for women’s football in the East African nation. All 12 FUFA Women Super League clubs received medical and technical equipment last year via the FIFA’s League Development Programme, while strongly supported FIFA Women's Football Campaigns took place in early 2025.

“Today, parents and communities have accepted that a girl child can play football, access education and even earn a living through the game. Our focus now is to professionalise women’s football, strengthen clubs and ensure sustainable investment that allows our players to reach their full potential,” said the Hon. Moses Magogo Hassim, FUFA President. Speaking at the launch, Solomon Mudege, FIFA Head of Development Programmes - Africa added: “We are proud of what FUFA has achieved and we take it as a challenge to support it further. The progress we have seen in infrastructure, governance and women’s football development reflects strong leadership and commitment. This commercial strategy presents an opportunity to unlock the potential of women’s football in Uganda and create clear pathways from grassroots to elite level.”

Simon Toselli, Regional Lead, Asia and Oceania, Women’s Football division, said the programme sets out a pathway for women’s leagues around the world to reach the next level. "FIFA created a dedicated programme to support its Member Associations in developing a commercial strategy for their women’s football competitions, enabling them to better monetise their rights and reach financial sustainability,” he said. “We conducted these two pilot projects to test the approach in practice and derive key learnings. Both MA’s [Romania and Uganda] showed a high level of commitment, preparation and engagement to reinforce their commercial strategy. They organised a successful onsite strategy launch, gathering key stakeholders, media and sponsors.” Information on how MAs can apply to develop a suitable strategy for their respective leagues here.