Moldova will have a national women’s football team by 2016

The Women’s Football Association in Moldova (AFFM), in collaboration with the Moldovan Football Federation (FMF), has developed a development program for the period 2012-2016. One of the main goals of the program is for Moldova to have a national women’s team by 2016, Info-Prim Neo reports. “This program is meant to involve more people in practicing women’s football, to increase the number of clubs and to improve the level of this sport in our country. Once we implement the European model, children, youth, the community and the whole football will gain from it”, AFFM chairman Valeriu Plesca declared at a press conference on Thursday, July 19. The development program has already been approved by UEFA and soon the first stage will be started, during which coaches and other staff involved in women’s football will be trained. “We have enough human resources and didactic material to implement the program”, said Ghenadie Scurtul, technical director of FMF. Currently, the regions where women’s football is most popular are the districts Edinet, Balti, Ungheni, Anenii Noi, and the cities Tiraspol and Chisinau. “The program will help us develop a positive image and promote football in more districts of the country. We’ll create conditions for anyone to be able to practice this sport”, said Natalia Ceban, the one in charge of women’s football at FMF. According to the latest statistics as of 2011, there are 360 women footballers in Moldova, playing for 9 senior and 13 junior teams.