EFC launches Everyone’s Game FC diversity and inclusion network

European Football Clubs (EFC)has launched Everyone’s Game FC, a new network intended to coordinate and amplify inclusion-focused work across the football ecosystem.EFC, the representative body for more than 800 clubs across Europe, introduced the initiative around International Women’s Day, linking the launch to a wider programme of activity with UK-based industry group Women in Football (WIF). EFC said: “On International Women’s Day, we are taking an important step forward in our ongoing commitment to make football a more diverse and inclusive space for everyone.”The organisation said Everyone’s Game FC would sit above its existing and future projects on equality, diversity and inclusion, and serve as a focal point for member engagement and knowledge-sharing. EFC also announced a new partnership with WIF designed to connect the two organisations across several initiatives aimed at supporting women working across the football industry.The first public rollout came through an EFC x WIF members webinar held on March 6, hosted by broadcaster Hayley McQueen, with opening remarks from EFC chief executive Charlie Marshall and WIF chief executive Yvonne Harrison, according to Gaia Pretner, EFC’s head of sustainability. The session also included an interview with Ebru Köksal, WIF chair and an EFC Foundation board member, and was positioned as the first in a series of eight member webinars focused on women’s leadership in football.Harrison signalled WIF’s intent to use the collaboration to drive change across the industry, writing: “Delighted Women in Football have partnered with EFC on this important work, Gaia thank you for choosing us to help drive change across European Football.”The launch provides a new narrative wrapper for EFC’s governance and leadership initiatives, including its Women on Board Programme, which is run in collaboration with WIF and targets senior women across clubs and football organisations. EFC has set governance targets of at least 25% female representation on its board by 2027 and 35% by 2030, and says the programme is a “key driver of diversity and inclusion” aligned with its wider reforms.EFC’s approach reflects a broader trend among football’s governing and representative bodies to formalise inclusion work as a core business function, tying club-facing education and leadership pathways to longer-term objectives around decision-making, workforce development and organisational culture.