FIFA and Mexican Football Federation’s Supercopa Femenil to encourage growth in women’s football

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With the financial support of FIFA, the Mexican Football Federation has launched the FIFA | FMF Supercopa Femenil (Women’s Super Cup) as part of its women’s football development programme.

The five-day U-15 tournament (between 3-7 August) organised in Toluca, provided 206 players across 12 teams from Nuevo León, Tlaxcala, Chiapas, Mexico City, Sinaloa, Jalisco, Veracruz, Guanajuato, Estado de México, Baja California, Chihuahua, as well as a representative team from the United States, with an opportunity to have their talents detected by scouts from both Liga MX, and the Mexican national teams.

FIFA will provide technical support, equipment and funding for two years, as well as education and empowerment through seminars for coaches.

The FIFA’s Women’s Development Programme aims to provide all 211 member associations with the opportunity to apply for, and access additional resources and specialist expertise to develop women’s football at a national level.

Member associations can apply for support across eight key areas of women’s football development during the 2020-2023 period. In addition to financial assistance to cover the costs in selected programmes, the FIFA Women’s Development Programme will also provide access to women’s football experts, additional equipment and technical support within FIFA.

“The Supercopa Femenil was born from the dream of bringing Mexican youth players to a competitive showcase for women’s football in our country, attracting the best academies that are supporting the development of players in this category. This has resulted in a life-changing experience to be scouted by national team staff, and those of Liga MX Femenil teams,” Lucia Mijares, FMF Technical Sports Development Director, said in a statement.

Andrea Rodebaugh, FIFA Women’s Football Consultant, added via FIFA:

“Observing the Supercopa Femenil in Mexico has been inspirational. Its implementation is helping strengthen pathways by showcasing talent, motivating players and coaches as well as sharing knowledge and unique experiences so that growth continues where needed. There is so much talent, potential and support from everyone in the FMF. I am very optimistic for the future.”

Karl Dodd, FIFA Women’s Football Expert, stated via FIFA:

“The Supercopa has been well organised and provides a great opportunity for players to gain experience playing against top teams in their age group. It also enables scouts to watch these players, and for coaches to undertake development workshops to further improve the positive impact they have on players, supporting their personal and professional development.”

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Como 1907 and Connectome unite to enhance cognitive analysis

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Image credit: Christian Bertrand / Shutterstock.com

Last month, the Lombardy-based club announced the start of a new partnership with Connectome, a neurotechnology company now looking to apply their work to Serie A’s most exciting project.

Cognitive and physical performance

Through this innovative alliance at the heart of a rapidly rising football project, players will benefit from enhanced study and understanding of their own cognitive performance.

Repeated brain measurements will allow staff to analyse how players respond to different playing scenarios – from the training pitch to matchday.

“We already measure the physical and tactical aspects of performance at a very high level,” explained Como 1907 CTO, Mo Dabbah, via Connectome’s official website.

“The real opportunity now is in better understanding cognitive load and decision-making over time.”

Furthermore, Dabbah continued to highlight that cognitive analysis is essential to achieving high levels of performance in sport.

“Brain health isn’t a ‘nice to have’, it’s fundamental to how players develop, adapt, and perform and it’s an area we’re excited to explore more deeply.”

 

Transferring data to development

Connectome’s work helps athletes and organisations competing at high levels of sport, ensuring recovery, duty of care and preparation are all at the forefront of operations.

Moreover, through a longitudinal approach to collecting data, Connectome strives to create unique, individual profiles for each athlete. Thus, changes or variations are judged against each individual’s baseline, not group averages or one-off tests.

But beyond the technological innovation, is the genuine intent and vision to maximise player performance at Como 1907.

Como 1907 is a club leading by example not just in Italy, but across Europe for unique business models, commercial growth and strategic partnerships. An alliance with Connectome is yet more proof that the club thinks not just about the 90 minutes on the pitch, but the hours spent on long-term player recovery and development.

Both parties align perfectly in values and vision. Player wellbeing, team growth, and technological advancement are the foundations of this partnership.

Como 1907 is a club pushing the future into today’s football landscape, making Connectome a natural partner to bring that vision to life.

Football West hosts Papua Football Academy as Asian ties deepen

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Image Credit: Football West

Football West has hosted members of the Papua Football Academy from Indonesia on an eleven-day exchange visit to Perth, marking a significant step in the governing body’s Asian Engagement Strategy and demonstrating football’s capacity to build meaningful cross-cultural relationships across the region.

Supported by the WA Government, the visit brought 60 players aged 13 to 15 from across Papua province to train alongside Football West Academy players and local clubs, including Perth Azzurri and Perth Glory. The group also attended A-League and New Balance NPL WA matches, toured Optus Stadium, visited the WA Institute of Sport, ECU Joondalup and John Curtin College of Arts, and met with the Indonesian Consulate General in Perth.

“Football West is committed to leading football diplomacy in the region, and this program is a great example of football’s power to connect people, build relationships and create genuine pathways,” said Football West Asian Engagement Advisor Robbie Gaspar. “It’s all about the people-to-people connections”.

 

Leading initiatives

Established in 2022 through a partnership between PT Freeport Indonesia and the Football Association of Indonesia, the Papua Football Academy provides high-performance training, education and welfare support for talented young players from one of Indonesia’s most geographically remote provinces. The program has quickly become one of Indonesia’s leading youth development initiatives, with ambitions to build international connections through training camps, matches and partnerships.

Papua Football Academy Director Wolfgang Pikal said the visit had provided his players and coaches with a standard of facilities and competition exposure unavailable at home. “We have nothing like this in Papua,” he said. “It has allowed the coaches to learn something new and for the kids to measure themselves against young players in Perth.”

Pikal flagged hopes of placing two or three players in Perth competitions in the future as the partnership develops.

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