At the beginning of this year, the Football Federation of Macedonia, in cooperation with UEFA, began the process of developing a new strategy for the development of Macedonian football.
As part of the process, a working meeting was held between the President of the FFM, Masar Omeragic, and the FFM representatives involved in preparing the new strategy, and the UEFA representatives – Ilija Kitić, Oleksandr Kucheryavyi, as well as the mentors Adam Walker and Marcus MacDonald. The meeting focused on presenting and analysing the current situation within the Federation, with particular emphasis on the FFM’s financial stability.
The analysis of revenues and expenditures showed that the FFM must continue with a strict policy of rational spending and saving, through further reductions in unproductive and non-football-related costs. Although significant cuts have already been made in certain segments during the previous period, even greater discipline in the management of funds is required to ensure long-term financial sustainability. The recommendation is that every expense that does not directly contribute to the development of football should be reviewed and rationalised.
As the basis for the new strategy, the FFM has completed the process of mapping football infrastructure and pitches throughout the country. For the first time, strategic decisions will be made on the basis of concrete data, through an analysis of the mapping, demographic indicators and other relevant information. This approach will enable investments and development activities to be directed to where the greatest need and potential truly exist.
All key stakeholders in Macedonian football are involved in the process of creating the strategy: professional clubs, representatives of grassroots football, coaches, referees, officials, footballers, fans and partners. Through their views, ideas and experiences, the FFM will build a shared vision and clearly defined strategic objectives towards which we will all move together over the next five years.
In this process, the FFM has the full support of UEFA, which, through its expertise and methodology, provides an approach tailored to the specific needs and challenges of Macedonian football. At the same time, the Federation is gaining access to the best European practices and experiences, which will enable the new strategy to be realistic, sustainable and ambitious, with a clear goal: for Macedonian football to take a step forward to the next level of development.
