Sponsor of the exhibition We Are Football
10 October 2017—4 February 2018
 
The French Football Federation (FFF), presided by Noël Le Graët, was founded on 7 April 1919. This not-for-profit organization, recognized by the government as a public interest body in 1922, defends the fundamental values of the French Republic through the sport of football, which it is responsible for applying and developing across the entire country, both continental and overseas.

It ensures compliance with the principles of secularity, gender equality, citizenship, tolerance, sharing, solidarity, engagement and fighting all forms of discrimination and violations of human dignity on the basis of a person’s gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, social status, physical appearance, beliefs and opinions.

The appeal of football, the no. 1 sport in France, continues to grow. Today the FFF has more than 2 million registered members – players, instructors, managers and referees – and more than 16,000 amateur clubs, 43 affiliated professional clubs and 400,000 volunteers.

To guarantee and develop its sport policy and its training and education actions, for both high-level footballers from a perspective of performance and amateur players who form the base of the entire discipline, the Federation relies on a decentralized system of 22 leagues (13 regional and 9 overseas) and 90 districts. This geographic coverage, unique in the sport, allows anyone, anywhere in France, to play football regardless of their skill level. The Federation also supervises professional football, whose management it delegates to the Professional Football League (LFP). The sport employs more than 7,000 people.

The FFF organizes a million matches each year. The sport of football and its clubs play an essential role in the everyday lives of urban and rural areas. They make an active contribution to activities and social life. Football is considered to be the third source of education, after family and school. Its training model for instructors and players is also known to be one of the most effective in the world.

The feminization of football, a phenomenon supported by the FFF, is growing rapidly year after year. The number of female registrations has tripled over the past five years. It now exceeds 155,000 registered female members, including 125,000 female players. The organization of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France in 2019, sponsored by the FFF, should further confirm this trend.

The hundred-year-old FFF has initiated an innovative corporate strategy. In line with the changing expectations of players, the institution is adapting its portfolio of sports (five-a-side football, futsal, beach soccer and more). In the digital data era, it is also developing a whole series of technological services dedicated to enjoyment of the game, access to the sport, and performance optimization... for as many people as possible.