Five ways Poland is developing the game for all

Lifting standards in women’s football

In defeating Austria 2-0 in their play-off last year, the Polish women’s national team, led by Nina Patalon, made history by qualifying for their first UEFA Women’s EURO finals – a key aim of the PZPN’s first dedicated women’s strategy, Time for Us, launched in 2022.

You don’t have to look far for further confirmation of Poland’s rising status in women’s football; the country will host the Women’s Under-19 EURO later this year and the FIFA Women’s Under-20 World Cup in 2026. And their young stars won’t be short of inspirational figures, not least the current top-scorer in Spain’s Liga F: Barcelona striker Ewa Pajor, who came through PZPN’s grassroots programmes (including the Tymbark Cup).

Creating a strong football community for girls

The landscape of the women’s game is being transformed at grassroots level, too. Since being one of the seven associations that took part in the pilot phase in 2020, the PZPN has fully embraced the UEFA Playmakers programme, driving its expansion across the country. Funding from the PZPN has helped raise the number of locations running the programme to 40, with plans for as many as another 20 this year. Not only have thousands of young girls enjoyed a safe and inspiring first experience of football, but around 200 adults have participated in PZPN’s Playmakers coach training.

Thousands of girls in Poland have participated in the UEFA Playmakers programmePZPN

Leading the way in amputee football

In 2022, Amp Futbol Polska launched Europe’s first all-female amputee team with the support of the PZPN. The association holds monthly two-day training camps for the women’s side and has even staged international events, providing football opportunities for a group of people that might not otherwise have the chance. The programme for female players won the Best Disability Initiative category at the 2022/23 UEFA Grassroots Awards, while Poland’s national team took third place at the inaugural Women’s Amputee Football World Cup in 2024.

Supporting vulnerable young people

Amputee football took centre stage again at the 2024 UEFA Super Cup, played at the National Stadium in Warsaw. Children from the European Amputee Football Federation were invited to attend training sessions ahead of Real Madrid’s clash with Atalanta, and entered the pitch alongside the clubs’ superstars as player mascots.

They were joined by children from “Trenuj bycie dobrym”, a Polish NGO that uses football as a tool for positive social change, and Hope for Mundial, a Warsaw-based organisation that runs an annual world football championship for children from orphanages.

Poland is home to over half a million registered players, supported by a vast network of coaches, volunteers and grassroots clubsPZPN

Championing the football community

In preparing to launch a strategy for 2026 and beyond, the PZPN is embarking on a wide-ranging consultation that will engage with all members of the Polish football community. A series of surveys and meetings with players, clubs, coaches, parents and officials will help guide the association as they strive to continue to deliver for everyone involved in Polish football.