UEFA- 24 May 2021 A landmark consultation process to unite all stakeholders towards long-term reforms.

UEFA has today announced the launch of a landmark consultation process to unite European football stakeholders and strengthen the future of the game for the benefit of all. Over the next months, the Convention on the Future of European Football (‘the Convention’) will bring together representatives of national football associations, leagues, clubs, players, coaches, fans and agents to discuss long-term policy and governance reforms. UEFA intends to lay the foundations for European football’s sustainable and inclusive recovery and future together with its major stakeholders.

The move underlines UEFA’s determination to deliver long term solutions that safeguard the values-driven, solidarity based and open European sports model. The Convention’s stakeholder consultation process will ensure Europe’s collective will and determination directly impacts into the future of the game and how it is run.

UEFA is fully committed to its responsibility of protecting and preserving the structures and legacy of the game for future generations. The Convention will focus on working with all stakeholders and partners on swift concrete, collaborative and comprehensive actions that can be undertaken to ensure the short- and long-term positive development of the entire football pyramid in Europe. This will include specific focus on pre-existing and emerging issues and threats in the top professional layer, which have been exposed and exacerbated by the crisis, increasing risk for the entire ecosystem.

Concretely, the Convention will aim to secure progress on four foundations for greater stability and bolstering the strength of European football going forward:

1. Ensuring financial sustainability and responsibility within European football;

2. Strengthening competitiveness, solidarity distributions and player development;

3. Establishing more consistent good governance measures domestically and internationally; and

4. Progressing the development of women’s football and raising its status across all levels.

Based on UEFA’s longstanding partnership with the European Union and the Council of Europe, these organisations will be invited to appoint observers to the Convention. Participation from FIFA and other regional confederations will be welcomed on a similar basis.

UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said: “As I emphasised at the recent UEFA Congress, crises will make European football stronger. They show us what we can achieve when we act together and what we stand to lose if we don’t care about each other and the greater good. With this Convention process we will talk to each other, listen to each other, and find and enact solutions together. Now more than ever people across Europe expect action and solidarity in the interest of all of football in all of Europe, and that is what we will focus on delivering.”

The first round of consultation will take place in July 2021, in conjunction with the final week of the UEFA European Football Championship. A second consultation round will take place in September 2021.{jcomments on}

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