RAISING

2020 OUR GAME WOMEN’S FOOTBALL REPORT

Improving Industry Standards for Professional Football Players

STATE OF THE GAME 1 ABOUT

ABOUT OBJECTIVES The 2020 Raising Our Game Report provides an The aim of the report is to help unions, players, clubs, overview of the global women’s football industry, leagues, national federations, Confederations, FIFA, placing the rights and conditions of players at the sponsors and media stakeholders to navigate football’s centre. The report builds on the 2017 FIFPRO Women’s evolving landscape from a female player-centric Global Employment Report and takes account of the perspective. And then to enable the formulation of key policies to protect the rights and interests of players, working environment of professional footballers worldwide. The industry is continuously evolving and thus promote a sustainable industry. along with its regulations, rules, policies, business and competition models. This report gives the players’ perspective along with key stakeholders on the most of the industry from the perspective of elite female recent growth patterns and trends, best practices, players. FIFPRO intends to continue to release these policies and regulations relevant to the sustainability reports, using this report as a benchmark. of the professional football industry. and guidance to:

ENGAGE in transparent discussions about the future shape of the professional football industry.

CONTRIBUTE to factual, evidence-based, player-driven analysis and decisions.

INFORM the needs and fundamental interests of players in an ever-changing employment market for professional footballers.

DRIVE player-centred policy development to protect and safeguard the rights and interests of the professionals at the heart of the game.

STATE OF THE GAME 3 CONTENTS

WELCOME 6 5 PLAYERS’ VOICES 70

Key Messages from our 2019 FIFPRO Female Player Survey 72 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 8 Player Activism 73 Timeline of Recent Female Athlete Activism 76 Key Findings and Recommendations 10 The Way Forward 11 Collective Bargaining & Organising 84 3+3 Women’s Football Game Plan 12 Female Players Organising in South America: A Timeline 88

2 INTRODUCTION 14 6 CALL TO ACTION 90

Background 16 Establishing Standards for the Working Conditions of Players 92 Growth and Labour Standards 17 Global Minimum Labour Standards for Professional Football 95 Female Players and Football Conditions 18 Global Standards for International Tournaments 99 Research Framework 20 Professional Status of Players 102 Global Trends that Drive our Industry 22 7 CONCLUSIONS 104 3 ECONOMIC GROWTH IN WOMEN’S FOOTBALL 26 Matchday Attendance 30 ANNEX 110 Broadcaster Viewership 38 Sponsorship 44

4 PLAYER CONDITIONS 50

Professional Club Football 52 National Teams 62

4 RAISING OUR GAME CONTENTS 5 WELCOME

Professional women’s football is rapidly growing, the right to viable career paths as professionals in and the sport is emerging as a strong and viable the industry. Female players are also extending their industry. However, viable career paths and proper voice beyond the pitch, using the growing popularity working conditions are still lacking across many of their game and its visibility to unite their struggle regions. Economic progress in the industry must be for women’s rights and employment rights with accompanied by the development and implementation of global labour standards that protect the rights and well-being of players. The development and enforcement of global labour standards must become the responsibility of FIFA, Female players have a right to reach their full potential international stakeholders, national federations, leagues and clubs. Following this path requires open is realised. The conditions under which players train, debate, accountable decision-making and committed perform and compete must support their physical and action plans on the part of professional football mental well-being, promote their ability and protect stakeholders. Employers, player organisations and their integrity. Now is the time to prioritise player-centric competition organisers need to reinforce the social investments and make sure this trajectory of growth contract that gives all actors a fair share of economic does not overshadow working conditions. progress, respecting their rights and contribution to the football economy. Collective bargaining must play Women’s football cannot follow in the footsteps of a key role in managing changes and players must be the men’s game nor be positioned as its little sister. seen as equal partners who have a shared interest We must learn from the challenges and opportunities in the future of their game. we have seen develop across the football industry and use this knowledge to help lay the foundation At FIFPRO we are grateful to the tremendous level of WE WANT FEMALE PLAYERS for a sustainable global employment market built engagement from players and other stakeholders who on healthy and safe working environments. participated in this research. We hope the 2020 FIFPRO Raising Our Game report serves as a platform and TO BE PROFESSIONAL IN OUR RAISING OUR GAME reference document for our industry to engage with Female players are no longer willing to wait. players and their unions to form stronger relationships Worldwide, they are organising and increasingly holding and shape a sustainable and innovative professional COUNTRY. IT'S NOT FOR US the international football community accountable for women’s football industry. better conditions. Their call to action is loud and clear: fair treatment, decent work, equal opportunities and For more information, please visit FIFPRO.org ANYMORE, WE'RE WORKING FOR THE NEXT GENERATION AS THE PREVIOUS ONE WORKED FOR US.

Amanda Vandervort Caroline Jönsson Sara Gama | FIFPRO General Secretary FIFPRO Global Board Member Juventus FC Women

6 RAISING OUR GAME 7 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1

8 RAISING OUR GAME STATE OF THE GAME 9 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY THE WAY FORWARD While global trends drastically shape the present and future growth opportunities economic growth must entail employment creation with protection for basic Raising Our Game Report, and our resulting recommendations. rights of players and proper conditions. This means that the current growth in This includes both top-down and bottom-up considerations, the women’s game requires innovation and intervention to establish the basis for a long-term sustainable industry. in achieving a collective vision for a strong, vibrant and lasting women’s football industry.

CURRENT STATE OF WOMEN’S FOOTBALL RECOMMENDATIONS KEY FINDINGS AND Global standards for the conditions of players Establish a set of basic standards for are lacking, subjecting players to a range of the working conditions of professional women’s RECOMMENDATIONS adverse working conditions and serving as football players - for both club and national a barrier to the growth of the industry. team levels - recognising their fundamental rights as workers and investing in areas that WOMEN’S FOOTBALL improve the game. 1 IS PROVING ITS VALUE While women’s football has long been viewed as a cost to the industry, it is in fact an asset of great value — to the sport and society — that can steer Female players are not given the opportunity Pave a joint path forward through collective the industry in a positive and sustainable direction. to be heard or to play a part in developing bargaining. Develop more opportunities for their industry. players to move into expert and leadership roles within the industry. THE INDUSTRY 2 IS GROWING There is greater commercial interest in women’s football; attendance in While football’s doors are beginning to open to Financial investment is not enough; the women’s league and national team competitions shows signs of incredible potential, women, the professionalisation of the women’s game requires a common vision that unites broadcaster viewership is increasing and many new sponsors have recently national strategies and implements regulatory decades-long underinvestment and exclusion. interventions to achieve sustainable growth and employment.

PROFESSIONALISATION 3 IS UNDERWAY The lack of competitive leagues, too few matches, Implement new, innovative and attractive More women’s leagues and clubs at the domestic level are forming short seasons, discrepancies between elite teams competition designs with a balance between and professionalising, others are reforming, and elite competitions and the rest, and gaps in many markets limit club and national teams so that players are not are taking new shape. opportunities for both player development and left patching together leagues, clubs and commercial investment.

GLOBAL STANDARDS FOR 4 PLAYER CONDITIONS ARE NECESSARY There is a growing interest in consumption Identify solutions to measure the value of Adverse labour conditions still plague the game. Action is needed to establish, and sponsorship of women’s football. women’s football and develop a long-term implement and enforce global industry standards for working conditions However, commercial opportunities have roadmap for success. Drive growth in women’s football —- in both labour contracts and international competitions not been fully committed to and therefore, and opportunity through innovation — to protect the players and enable the just, decent and stable growth of are currently unrealised. and long-term investments. the industry.

10 RAISING OUR GAME EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 11 3+3 WOMEN’S FOOTBALL GAME PLAN

The FIFPRO 3+3 Women’s Football Game Plan provides guidance for actions to drive the sustainable professionalisation of women’s football. The strategic actions are mutually reinforcing and match the players’ view on what is required and contribute to the overall development of professional women’s football.

RECOMMENDATIONS REQUIREMENTS FOR FOOTBALL STAKEHOLDERS FOR PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL

VISION AND LEADERSHIP GLOBAL MINIMUM LABOUR STANDARDS FOR PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL The professional women’s game is subject to adverse labour conditions which negatively impact the sporting potential for professional football. Shifting consumer dynamics will continue performance of players, pose direct obstacles to the development of their potential or force them to leave the game to drive the growth of the game. The professional football industry must early. As such these conditions not only infringe on the basic rights of players but also block the growth of the industry. They are not only harmful to players but to federations, leagues and clubs. To protect the workplace conditions of sustainable evolution of the game. Developing this joint vision will players, national employment laws and regulations must be followed in addition to a set of basic standards for the require exceptional leadership from across the football industry — including working conditions or professional players established by the football industry. Enforcing these workplace standards a growing number of female professionals. We also recommend that is essential for creating the appropriate training and competition environments for players to perform at their peak; sponsors, broadcasters and other third-parties contribute to this new for ensuring that players are provided with decent, safe and secure jobs within the football industry; and for the industry vision for women’s football, ensuring that it extends far beyond the hype of a single tournament or reputational exercise. and if necessary litigate to defend these basic workplace conditions for players.

COMPETITION STRUCTURES GLOBAL STANDARDS FOR INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENTS Professional female players need sustainable competition structures which While basic conditions must apply to all professional players, a separate set of conditions applies to those participating allow them to develop their talent, balance their commitment between in elite global competitions such as international and continental tournaments — both at club or national team level. club and national competitions, and perform at their peak at all times. Competition organisers have a duty to ensure that the playing conditions of their competitions are the same elite standard for all participating players and thus it is critical to establish Global Standards for Player Conditions in International their maximum performance. The creation of innovative competition formats Tournaments. This is about ensuring that all football players competing in international tournaments on the world’s top is required to strengthen the global club footballing landscape at both domestic and international levels. More competitive and balanced leagues top tournaments means fair and equitable conditions are provided across the game, giving the world’s best players the and tournaments would not only be meaningful for the players but also for opportunity to perform at their peak in the world’s greatest football events. FIFPRO is calling on FIFA, confederations and fans, sponsors and broadcasters. national associations to implement a universal standard for playing conditions in international tournaments.

INVESTMENT STRATEGIES PLAYER OPPORTUNITIES The implementation of our common vision and the design of new structures Female players must be given the opportunity to enter and stay in professional football as a viable career option. will require investment — including human capital, organisational capacity This means ensuring stable employment markets that create possibilities for security and longevity in the industry as a player. From the bottom up, the sport also needs more opportunities for girls at the grassroots level to play and pathways for them to develop their talent, excel and stay in the game. This means access to elite talent development and to implement growth strategies. This does not mean arbitrary cash schemes and academies. Only with access to top level training environments can we expect players to develop injections or short-sighted investments but rather a strategic investment the outstanding skills to raise the standard of play and become the stars of tomorrow. Once players turn professional, plan based on priorities and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). they must be guaranteed a secure and stable working environment. The development of new income models for competitions will require costs initially, they represent wise investments for the future.

12 RAISING OUR GAME EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 13 INTRODUCTION 2

14 RAISING OUR GAME STATE OF THE GAME 15 INTRODUCTION

are proving to be key drivers of the women’s elite game. The public is increasingly turning its attention to watch world class athletes compete at the FIFA Women’s World Cup and Olympic Games, as well as regional competitions including the UEFA European Championship and CONMEBOL’s Copa America. At the same time the women’s professional club game is moving forward as more domestic leagues are launched, established leagues become more competitive, and visibility increases across the board. For this growth to continue, the women’s game needs to further professionalise, and it is critical that the working conditions ambitions and potential of the game. GROWTH AND BACKGROUND LABOUR STANDARDS

We know that women’s football Women’s football is professionalising and growing. What the ILO’s founders amongst elite female footballers worldwide, resulting in Investors are starting to seize the economic opportunities cannot follow in the footsteps and the women’s game is gaining a foothold in the market. recognised in 1919 was that the working conditions in the women’s game. This report of the men’s game nor be The potential of the game is making headlines. Yet little the global economy needed revealed the working conditions of over 3,000 female research to date has examined how this growth, players. Findings highlighted the challenges of a very positioned as its little sister. accompanied by the current industry developments and clear rules in order to ensure slim professional sector, showing many women struggle expectations put on players to perform, is impacting the to create a sustainable career as a professional player. working environments and wellbeing of female players. that economic progress would Over 90% of the female players reported they were This will require a unique model involving go hand in hand with social considering leaving the game early. Their responses a commitment to enhancing the current strengths, In this report, we examine the women’s football industry showed that the single biggest obstacle for the balanced with the future potentials of the women’s and assert that there is an urgent need to take action justice, prosperity and peace development of the sport and the women in it is that national team game and club competitions. to establish global industry labour standards for for all. This principle has not many of the best in the game are not professionals and women’s football. cannot dedicate themselves fully to this profession. In turn, FIFPRO has undertaken this new research, lost any of its relevance. to build on the global employment report by taking In today’s globalised economy, international labour Our 2017 recommendations suggested that growing the a holistic look at the economic and societal growth standards are essential mechanisms to ensure that the International Labour Organisation (ILO), 2019 women’s game and creating stable and decent work for of professional women’s football. The objective is to female players will require stakeholders — at a global, support players, unions and other stakeholders in It is widely recognised that the pursuit of economic national and local level — to step up, display initiative growth through employment creation and income and take responsibility. This means the development generation must be balanced with protection of and implementation of a women’s football model that for female players within an equally just framework the basic rights of workers. While sport often assumes provides for real career prospects through a sustainable for the game overall. a position of exceptionalism in the global political- professional employment market. The questions are economy, it is in fact no outlier. The establishment and how to build such a model and what it should look like. enforcement of labour standards are just as relevant for the football industry as any other and are a critical element for ensuring that the growth of the global

16 RAISING OUR GAME INTRODUCTION 17 FEMALE PLAYERS AND FOOTBALL CONDITIONS

While increasing attention is being placed on With women’s football in the nascent stages of global the economic value of women’s football as a product, growth, the opportunity exists to get ahead or even this report looks at how the player and her working ‘leapfrog’ these major issues to create a working conditions are valued within this context of industry environment whereby players are not exploited, expansion and economic growth. their rights are valued, and they are accorded full respect. It is also important to acknowledge that in many Investors and sponsors are starting to respond to countries female players are likely to face a greater the rising value placed on women’s football. for both the rights of the player and the rights of women. economic growth do not necessarily lead to improved The latter makes the former harder to achieve. or proper conditions for the players nor automatically translate into a better game. As the women’s game evolves, Men’s football as an industry has clearly demonstrated now is the time to consider how to that economic expansion without proper regulations prioritise the concerns of players Employment Report revealed that with industry and make sure this trajectory of expansion the exploitation of players has continued, growth does not overshadow and in some countries worsened. Denial of proper contracts, overdue pay, inadequate facilities, restrictions the conditions of female players. on freedom of movement, and discrimination, represent some of the many challenges that male players face. The rights, interests and wellbeing of players must Furthermore, as male players get traded and sold and be properly safeguarded during this important period of ever-more narrowly valued through the lens of industry development. FIFPRO maintains that in order to the market, the struggle to assert their rights as workers create any lasting foundation for the professionalisation and their basic human rights remains a formidable task. of the game, a set of global labour standards for the working conditions of professional female players must be established.

IT’S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT MONEY. IT’S ABOUT ATTITUDE AND RESPECT. | Olympique Lyonnais Féminin

18 RAISING OUR GAME GROWTH OF PROFESSIONAL WOMEN’S FOOTBALL 19 RESEARCH FRAMEWORK PLAYER STAKEHOLDER SURVEY SURVEY

The 2019 FIFPRO female player survey was We requested information from all the conducted among national team players from 24 national football federations in the 2019 of the research undertaken was to present a situational analysis. FIFA Women’s World Cup, and in some cases, Women’s World Cup, in addition to several from global, continental and national levels. other nations. In total, 186 female players division of the women’s league or a set of completed the survey from domestic clubs in a given country. All six FIFA countries. Representing the top female players Confederations (UEFA, AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, in the world, these players provided their CONMEBOL, OFC), as the continental the women’s football industry, then reports on the key issues perspectives on the working conditions and governing bodies, were also approached for concerning the working conditions of female players. the ongoing professionalisation of their game. data collection due to the pivotal roles they play in both international and club football. COMPOSITION OF STAKEHOLDER SURVEY RESPONDENTS BY CONFEDERATION REPORT STRUCTURE The research is based on a forward-looking analysis that aims to understand the relationship between the economic environment and the labour conditions of the players, followed by the recommended course of action. DATA COLLECTION AND METHODOLOGY FIGURE 1. COMPOSITION OF STAKEHOLDER The state of the game is analysed with a distinct focus on the working conditions and economic environment In order to be able to draw a realistic and comprehensive SURVEY RESPONDENTS BY CONFEDERATION of the women’s game. picture of women’s football on a global scale, data and information were collected from multiple sources and through various methods, including a player survey, 5 stakeholder surveys, primary interviews with executives 5 WORKING ECONOMIC and experts, and secondary research focusing on CONDITIONS ENVIRONMENT existing thought leadership studies in relation to 9 COMPOSITION OF STAKEHOLDER SURVEY UEFA RESPONDENTS BY CONFEDERATION AFC studies also provided valuable input to the discussion What is the situation of female players’ What is the current state of the women’s CAF of women’s football today. The use of multiple sources CONCACAF working conditions today? What are the key football economy? How is economic growth 9 helped in corroborating the same facts. CONMEBOL issues and challenges that female players propelling the professionalisation of the OFC are facing? How are the working conditions womens game? What types of investments SURVEYS: of players key to professionalising the game? resources, and regulations are needed? OFC 59 CONMEBOL Women’s World Cup in were the main target group of our surveys. Several additional countries were also 13 selected5 based on the development of women’s football 5in the country. The combination of the player survey and CONCACAF Guiding question: How do the working conditions of players need to be factored into the economic the stakeholder survey was the core component of the picture in order for the football industry to stimulate and strategically build a sustainable growth path? 9 data collection process. UEFA AFC We received valuable data and insights from two-thirds of CAF the countries contacted through the stakeholder survey, CAF 9 CONCACAF while four out of six continental confederations also CONMEBOL provided detailed answers, giving this analysis credible OFC global coverage. Their responses and perspectives form the bedrock of our analysis. 59 UEFA 13 Unsurprisingly, given the relatively high concentration especially where primary data needed further AFC of developed footballing nations, most responses came from Europe. However, other important non-UEFA participants from the women’s football scene are studies about player working conditions and various also represented. statistical databases are just some examples of the secondary sources used in this research. All data obtained through primary research methods, including the stakeholder and female player surveys, is presented in an aggregated or anonymised way in in November 2019, a few months after the 2019 this report in order to protect the respondents. FIFA Women’s World Cup.

20 RAISING OUR GAME INTRODUCTION 21 GLOBAL TRENDS THAT DRIVE OUR INDUSTRY GENDER EQUALITY & HUMAN RIGHTS IN SPORTS

GLOBAL TREND IMPACT ON WOMEN’S FOOTBALL Shifts in the global landscape have been To analyse the political, economic, social and With the gradual shifts in public perceptions and profoundly transforming the world of sport: technological factors creating new opportunities the subsequent policy and legislative changes in gender with the players acting as the protagonists of their sport. or generating obstacles for the development of equality and human rights, female participation and Professional female players will continue to strive for equality technological change and development of professional women’s football, we applied a PEST engagement in sports, particularly football, has been on the national and international level — especially in terms the digital economy, demographic growth, (political, economic, socio-cultural and technological) on the rise. The attention to human rights within sport of playing and working conditions. The demands on clubs, the globalisation of trade, changes in demand, analytical model. The objective of this model is to is growing continuously and national and international leagues and federations are highlighted by recent litigation individual aspirations, and more. identify the key global trends that are shaping our world sporting federations are increasingly instituting human cases in professional women’s football and the need for today and driving the development of women’s football. rights policies and practices. At the same time, social improvement will be voiced by the collective representation pressure on sporting federations, companies and public of athletes and individual activism. Women’s football is global trends: shifting consumer dynamics; gender entities to ‘do the right thing’ is growing. Due to its in a prime position to serve as a platform to advocate equality in sports; internationalisation; and new exposure and visibility, the sports entertainment sector for positive values and their associated human rights. technologies. In this section we take a brief look at is in a unique position to be at the forefront of each trend and the implications for women’s football. instigating change or, conversely, attracting criticism

SHIFTING CONSUMER DYNAMICS INTERNATIONALISATION

GLOBAL TREND IMPACT ON WOMEN’S FOOTBALL GLOBAL TREND IMPACT ON WOMEN’S FOOTBALL Shifting consumer dynamics refer to changing Football is one of today’s prime live products. As more Our world is becoming more interconnected than ever Internationalisation and an increasingly global mindset drives preferences and behaviour in the market. This is often people are able to spend money on entertainment, with the transfer and cross-border movement of capital, the development of the professional football industry and linked to increasing spending power and accessibility. people, data, goods and services. There is a growing its commercial and competition models at the top end of The rapid economic development of so-called ‘emerging opportunities to generate income from the sale of tendency of institutions to operate across national countries’ is leading to a sizeable expansion of the previously unexploited rights. These range from stadium borders; products and services are increasingly for example, with prominent men’s clubs who are operating middle-class around the world. The contribution of naming rights through to shirt sponsor spots. The recent adaptable across contexts; better transport and in international markets moving in, like Manchester City FC, women to the global economy has been growing on telecommunication infrastructure have brought and leagues, for example deals with Avon, Barclays, Visa, improvements in connectivity. Through international of female players into the FIFA Transfer Matching System (TMS) trillion. In addition to changes in the composition and formats and the liberalisation of the employment spending power of consumers, expectations and tastes opportunities. However, intense competition for the market, entertainment has been at the forefront of importance of tracking and monitoring players’ cross-border are also shifting. Overall, consumers are more diverse, attention of consumers means women’s football must the process. Even more crucially, audiences of leading movement. However, with this, protecting the employment formats are now measured on the global rather than rights of players also becomes more pressing than ever. the domestic scale, transcending borders, Moreover, internationalisation of the game without grassroots beliefs and nationalities. growth of the professional game carries the risk of leading

DIGITISATION AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES

GLOBAL TREND IMPACT ON WOMEN’S FOOTBALL Digitisation and new technologies are turning Sports stakeholders have already started to create unique information into digital form. This process is impacting content and experiences for their fan bases. In women’s all areas of our economy and is driven by the convergence football, the appearance of various new media and of social media, mobile, big data and the consumer broadcasting methods provide opportunities for the game demand to instant access. New technological solutions to raise visibility and reach new audiences. Data analytics and applications are rapidly transforming various is now prevalent in most sports with more sophisticated markets and products, and the entertainment industry (including ) is no exception. boost the sporting performance. Still, such advances can The emergence of these technologies is challenging also pose risks to the rights and wellbeing of players who the traditional and tested ways of doing business. must be protected in the digitalization processes.

22 RAISING OUR GAME INTRODUCTION 23 THOUGHT LEADERSHIP THOUGHT LEADERSHIP THE TRAJECTORY FOR THE SPORT IS ON AN UNSTOPPABLE THE TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACT OF HUMAN UPWARD CURVE RIGHTS IN SPORTS

The last year may be seen as a turning point for the commercial fortunes of women’s elite football. A raft of major investments led by Barclays, Visa and MasterCard were rights into sport. As athletes, coaches, fans, human rights activists and other stakeholders followed by other notable brands such as Budweiser, Mars, Standard Chartered and continue to speak up against discrimination, violence and injustices across sports, Dove amongst others. These investments clearly demonstrate that the trajectory for the sport is on an unstoppable upward curve. The reasons for this situation are Female athletes have represented a tremendous is based on the United Nations Guiding Principles on source of leadership in this movement through the Business and Human Rights (“UNGPs”) and lays out The central axiom in sport is that talent follows money, eyeballs follow talent and money follows eyeballs. push for gender equality and in addressing gender recommendations for FIFA to embed human rights The key to improving standards in any sport is to give talent both the time, the opportunity and the guidance discrimination across sports — as they always have. across its global operations. This report represents to be the best they can. As standards improve the audience and interest grows. This then creates the But in just the past couple of years, we have a key milestone in the movement. Subsequently in conditions for media interest. Where media audiences grow, sponsorship blooms soon after. There is every reason to believe that women’s football is close to this tipping point. women from football, ice hockey, and basketball, rights and gender equality in its revised statutes and among others, demanding their rights be recognised in May 2017, FIFA published its landmark Human as athletes, as women, as workers, and as fans. Rights Policy. central to the agendas of most modern businesses and a central issue for consumers. Women’s football has faced an historic struggle with prejudice and provides a ready shorthand for the growing belief in Female footballers have played a large role in Sports bodies who have adopted the UNGPs are now the empowerment of women and their right to participate in those areas of society thought of as male generating this momentum: from the 2015 gender applying them to everyday sport governance and preserves. It is also clear that consumers want their brands to stand for something and equality, diversity and inclusion would rank highly in any list of causes seen as desirable to the public. This values-based playing on synthetic grass at the 2015 FIFA Women’s existing processes may need to be adapted to be World Cup, to the continued demands for equal investment ahead of a fully evolved quantitative and audience based proposition. treatment, improvement of opportunities and concerning human rights. The work of understanding conditions within confederations and national how to apply the UNGPS in new sport contexts is also There is no doubt that the club level of the women’s game is still playing catch-up with variations in federations, to the courageous voices that have one that requires navigating. To assist with this drawn critical attention to the presence of important work, organisations like FIFA have internal competitions still have ample potential to grow further and invest better. The area where the recipe is almost discrimination and, in some terrible cases, complete are select competitions, where standards are high, competition intense and the commercial gender-based violence and abuse within football independent Human Rights Advisory Board, to assist proposition is already in place backed by money, impeccable broadcast platforms and a genuinely global federations. The voices of these women have been with this complex work. The Centre for Sport and reach. There is also a promising event horizon to really accelerate the women’s game with Olympics, instrumental in driving positive change. Human Rights plays an important role in this work World Cups and a European Championship in . All of these events will have terrestrial broadcast as we convene human rights stakeholders around platforms. Thus there are strong reasons for brands to invest and leverage women’s football especially In response, the global governing body of football critical human rights issues in sport, share has been taking important steps to prioritise human knowledge on best practice, build capacity through rights on the global agenda and to implement tools to assist sport bodies with doing the critical standards across all of their operations. work to embed respect for human rights, and protect By Phil Carling, Managing Director of Football - Octagon Worldwide. The ‘Ruggie Report’, “For the Game, For the World: those who are involved in sport and its events. Key to FIFA and Human Rights” published as an independent this work is ensuring that those at the sport’s core, report in 2015 by John Ruggie of Harvard University, its athletes, are respected and protected.

By Mary Harvey, CEO Centre for Sport & Human Rights; former U.S. Women’s National team player, 1991 FIFA World Cup champion and 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist.

Octagon is the global sports and entertainment marketing arm of IPG and current The Centre for Sport and Human Rights is a Sports Industry Agency of the year. human rights organisation for the world of sport.

24 RAISING OUR GAME INTRODUCTION 25 ECONOMIC GROWTH IN WOMEN’S FOOTBALL 3

26 RAISING OUR GAME STATE OF THE GAME 27 ECONOMIC GROWTH IN WOMEN’S FOOTBALL

entertainment products. Propelled by new technologies and globalisation, top football competitions competitions has increased.

This industry expansion, however, has largely excluded • In many cases, women’s football teams and female players who until recently marginalised and departments are integrated into the structure of a side-lined by the world’s most popular sport. This dynamic is changing. Today, encouraging signs are pointing to the increasing value of women’s football men’s side. This is especially prevalent in the case globally, and in some places at an exponential pace. of commercial agreements covering both teams.

More than three-quarters of the respondents to our 2019 FIFPRO Stakeholder Survey (including confederations, the degree of growth taking place. We do not present an federations and leagues) said they believe commercial opportunities in women’s football will keep on improving as this is not yet feasible given the lack of appropriate and accessible data. We also do not provide a nuanced were no responses anticipating a downturn in the fortunes picture of the correlations or causations of the growth. of women’s football from an economic perspective. In this report we as FIFPRO are focused on how ASSESSING ECONOMIC GROWTH the labour conditions of players are being To closely examine the current state and growth of accounted for within this economic growth. women’s football, FIFPRO worked with research partners at KPMG Football Benchmark to assess the industry value in the football industry, the following three revenue streams are examined: matchday, broadcast, and commercial. This approach mirrors the conventional framework in which football clubs and similar sports

a limitation of our research. Some explanations for the obstacles limiting the breadth and range of data that could be obtained during data collection are as follows: • The professionalisation of women’s football is in its very early stages in some regions. This is underlined by various shortcomings in administration and data simply lack availability and accuracy. • Financial and other deals of commercial and broadcasting agreements are rarely publicised. Several federations and leagues signalled their

28 RAISING OUR GAME STATE OF THE GAME 29 MATCHDAY ATTENDANCE

The crowd is a crucial ingredient of the commercial FIFA Women’s World Cup product of professional football. Having more people Our assessment of international tournaments shows at live matches helps create sponsorship opportunities, there is potential for growth. Apart from 2003 and 2011, builds brand awareness, supports long-term fan total attendances at FIFA Women’s World Cup has not engagement, and drives revenue through ticket sales, increased substantially but is sitting around an average food and beverages, parking, consumer products of 1.2 million (Figure 2). and more. However, matchday attendance trends in women’s football must be considered alongside other Total attendance set a new record in 2015, largely due factors as well. It is evident that women’s football to the number of participating teams being increased geographies for reasons other than aiming to achieve the schedule, the tournament maintained a per match decisions include consideration of legacy impact, new the 2011 tournament, as both of them landed slightly growth markets, and visibility in low-participant areas.

The matchday attendance research is grouped into The 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France showed the following categories: a dip in total attendance as well as in average per match Continental Tournaments This does not mean there are no signs of improvement. • International Tournaments attendance in comparison to the 2015 tournament. Looking one level below, attendance at continental • Club Football Matches competitions are yet to register the high numbers a considerable number of no-shows. Nevertheless, of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, and overall there is that was televised in its entirety. This led to much more the matches of the France Women’s National Team a wide variance across regions. Attendance trends visibility, and according to CONMEBOL, the tournament INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENTS and also many knock-out games registered high at continental competitions have also not been broke records of attendance and ratings. The most International football plays a crucial role in raising consistent across or within regions. viewed match was versus Peru, viewed by approximately three million people within Chile, represent an entire country, they are in a prime position Shifts in certain variables, such as number of The AFC Women’s Asian Cup achieved its peak to reach a large audience and establish ties with new attendance in China in 2010. However, the per match fans. In this section, we will review attendance at average was only a fraction of that recorded at the 2007 The tournament was described by Chilevision the FIFA Women’s World Cup as well as various FIFA Women’s World Cup, also hosted in China just three broadcasting as the ‘milestone’ of the year. continental tournaments. World Cup were lower both in total and per-match years prior. This is a sign that the pulling power and average than the 1999, 2007, and 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cups. to replicate (Figure 3).

FIGURE 2. ATTENDANCE EVOLUTION AT THE FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP FIGURE 3. ATTENDANCE EVOLUTION AT THE AFC WOMEN’S ASIAN CUP

1. ATTENDANCE EVOLUTION AT THE WOMEN’S WORLD CUP

1,600,000 37,944 37,218 40,000 60,000 6,000 Average per match attendance Average per match attendance 50,000 5,000 26,430 1,200,000 30,000 3,744 21,240 40,000 4,000 26,029 2,662 800,000 20,000 21,756 30,000 3,000 1,855 20,000 1,372 2,000 Total tournament attendance tournament Total 400,000 10,000 attendance tournament Total 10,000 1,000 1,214,209 679,664 1,190,971 845,751 1,353,506 1,131,312 21,950 59,910 45,250 31,537 0 0 0 0 1999 USA 2003 USA 2007 China 2011 2015 Canada 2019 France 2008 - Vietnam 2010 - China 2014 - Vietnam 2018 - Jordan

Total tournament attendance Total tournament attendance Average per match attendance Average per match attendance

30 RAISING OUR GAME ECONOMIC GROWTH IN WOMEN’S FOOTBALL 31 4. AVERAGE ATTENDANCE STATISTICS OF SELECTED DOMESTIC LEAGUES 4. AVERAGE ATTENDANCE STATISTICS OF SELECTED DOMESTIC LEAGUES In Europe, the average attendances at the last two UEFA Flagship tournaments for national teams have FIGURE 5. AVERAGE ATTENDANCE STATISTICS OF SELECT DOMESTIC LEAGUES Women’s European Championships (2013 and 2017) 8,000 women’s football. Attendance at women’s international 8000 tournaments has been characterised by overall growth and, in recent years, encouraging numbers in certain reached at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, it must be regions including Europe and South America. 6,000 noted that a large share of the European Championship 6000 matches were played in smaller stadiums with a capacity A closer examination of variables such as tournament location, stadium capacity, and socio-cultural-political

issues of the host country would be important to further 4,000 4000

FIGURE 4. ATTENDANCE EVOLUTION AT THE UEFA WOMEN’S EURO 2,000 Avg. no of spectators at league matches spectators no of Avg. 8,676 2000 Avg. no of spectators at league matches spectators no of Avg. 300,000 9,000 7,969 Average per match attendance 250,000 7,500 0 0 USA - NWSL Australia England Germany France Norway 200,000 5,396 6,000 FA WSL Damallsvenskan Frauen- Division 1 Toppserien USA - NWSL Australia England Sweden Germany France Norway W-League Bundesliga Féminine FA WSL Damallsvenskan Frauen- Division 1 Toppserien 150,000 4,500 W-League Bundesliga Féminine

100,000 3,000 2014/15 4,769 1,076 908 1,019 640 226

Total tournament attendance tournament Total 2015/162014/15 5,5584,769 1,0761,128 908815 1,0761,019 640715 226190 50,000 1,500 2016/172015/16 5,5585,061 1,547 1,0711,128 809815 1,076946 718715 239190 134,907 216,888 247,041 2016/17 5,061 1,547 1,071 809 946 718 239 0 0 2017/18 6,004 2,122 953 895 848 608 257 2009 - 2013 - Sweden 2017 - 2018/192017/18 6,0047,337 1,7962,122 1,010953 895870 848833 608920 269257 2018/19 7,337 1,796 1,010 870 833 920 269

Total tournament attendance Average per match attendance Note:

CLUB FOOTBALL MATCHES West Ham United men’s and women’s teams playing at North Carolina Courage. However, it should be noted their main stadia for women’s league matches, including Evidence from recent seasons shows that overall the same time during the 2019 Women’s FA Cup Final). that when the NWSL started it was building on two storied clubs such as Sporting de Gijón, RCD Espanyol de attendance in women’s club football has been relatively • V enues for women’s team matches are often located professional league predecessors dating back to 2001, Barcelona and Real Betis. However, the most compelling stagnant. Average attendance in most countries’ far from the club’s main home, which may perpetuate while in most other countries’ professionalisation example came from Atlético de Madrid Femenino which top domestic leagues can still be considered low — a sense of disconnect from the established fan base. started later. hosted FC Barcelona Femení at the club’s new Wanda under 1,000 spectators per match (Figure 5). Metropolitano Stadium (venue for the men’s 2019 An outlier to this trend, the National Women’s Soccer High-Attendance Club Football Matches There are many potential explanations for these low League (NWSL) in the has grown since While average attendances are low in the majority of in March 2019, close to full capacity. The match set a average attendances. Our 2019 FIFPRO Stakeholder the league’s inaugural season in 2013. The 2019 season leagues, there are some commendable initiatives which new attendance record for European women’s club Survey respondents and respective interviewees saw an average of 7,337 spectators among the 9 teams, demonstrate that under the right conditions, there is football, overtaking the game between Athletic Club the highest average attendance in league history. enormous potential for reaching higher attendance Bilbao Femenino’s cup match against Atlético Madrid, numbers at women’s club football competitions. which took place at the San Mamés Stadium and matches taking place, communication channels not Many clubs from all over the world have decided to move world record for women’s club football, surpassing some of the matches of their women’s team to the main • L ack of coordination of schedules and match times stadium of the men’s team. For example, Boca Juniors of MX Femenil between Tigres UANL Femenil and (e.g. winter games); clashes with more established Portland Thorns FC stand out from the rest of the NWSL, organised a double-header in March 2019 CF Monterrey Femenil in Estadio BBVA Bancomer. men’s football time slots (e.g. 2019 FIFA Women’s when the men’s and the women’s teams played their World Cup Final on the same day as the men’s Copa spectators and their highest 2019 home game league matches on the same day at La Bombonera. America Final and the CONCACAF Gold Cup Final; There have been several Spanish teams who opened

32 RAISING OUR GAME ECONOMIC GROWTH IN WOMEN’S FOOTBALL 33 Similar initiatives have occurred in Italy, England and FIGURE5. ATTENDANCE 6. ATTENDANCE EVOLUTION AT UEFA WOMEN’SEVOLUTION CHAMPIONS AT LEAGUEUEFA WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE match itself draws on fans’ needs and interests. In fact, Knock-out stage matches, excluding qualifying rounds at the Allianz Stadium in March 2019 in front of 39,027 iconic and modern stadiums — usually dedicated to spectators, surpassing the previous record for a women’s men’s football matches — can generate exceptional live 250,000 10,000 attendance for women’s football.

that access was free for all supporters, an element 200,000 8,000

for discussion regarding the overall strategy for Average per match increasing attendance. the initiative to move their women’s teams to larger and 150,000 6,000 more established stadia on a more consistent basis.

Following the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, there Access to this type of venue on a more regular basis is Total 3,710 100,000 3,204 3,262 4,000 has been a marked rise in attendance at club football an important consideration for the growth potential of 2,411 2,494 matches in countries like England and France. matchday attendance. In England, the cumulative crowd across six WSL games 50,000 2,000 European Club Competitions 147,078 195,417 226,326 152,142 199,005 0 0 League does not show major improvements during 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 fans were in attendance for Olympique Lyonnais Féminin the tournament, as illustrated by the following charts vs. Paris Saint-Germain Féminine in November 2019, Total besting a previous record of 25,907 set by the same Average per match two teams in April 2019. the two preceding seasons. Although numbers did pick FIGURE 7. UEFA WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINALS the heights of previous seasons. Attendance and utilisation potential to draw large crowds. In England, the Women’s FA Cup Final’s attendance at Wembley Stadium has been Attendance at the UEFA Women’s Champions League 40,000 100 % showing strong improvements in recent years: over 93 % 89 %

85 % Capacity utilisationrate 30,000 67 % 75 % Football Club and West Ham United FC Women may 70 %

might seem harsh, it highlights an opportunity to 20,000 50 % at the same time as a West Ham men’s team played decouple women’s matches from the men’s

a home match. competitions in order to allow more attention and space Final of Attendance

for growth. Developing a distinctive identity of women’s 10,000 25 % These matches are clear evidence that women’s teams competitions may help establish a unique position can expect higher crowds when they play at the club’s for the women’s game. 18,300 15,117 22,433 14,237 19,487 well-established venues, when appropriate resources 0 0 % 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19

Attendance of Final Capacity utilisation rate

UEFA has recently announced a new format and restructuring for the Women’s Champions League, cities and with more time between them. The women’s in front of a sold-out stadium of close to 20,000 rights from the group stage onwards, with UEFA spectators. While giving the event its own dedicated producing every game for television or online streaming space certainly helped, the high attendance was also purposes. Sponsorship rights will be partially centralised. a result of low ticket prizes of around € 3. a group stage, UEFA have increased the number of matches by 20%. This gives those who qualify for the tournament access to more competitive games and increased visibility.

34 RAISING OUR GAME ECONOMIC GROWTH IN WOMEN’S FOOTBALL 35 CASE STUDY CASE STUDY ATLÉTICO DE MADRID FEMENINO VS. FC BARCELONA FEMENÍ PORTLAND THORNS FC

One of the biggest 2019 stories regarding women’s football was the match between The Portland Thorns FC, located in the United States, are one of the most successful Atlético de Madrid Femenino and FC Barcelona Femení at the Wanda Metropolitano professional women’s sports teams in the world, providing a model of women’s sports Stadium in Madrid, , which broke the previous attendance record for women’s club franchise success. Liverpool. In addition, the online viewership of the match through a free-to-air platform Attendances have been consistently over 10,000, equal terms with the men’s Portland Timbers FC, several factors behind this: their MLS counterpart. The two teams’ logos at the • The ownership status is unique in Portland as it stadium have the same size and the squads have The promotional campaign for the match included It is important to point out that Atlético de Madrid was the only Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise access to the same training facilities and supporting a well-structured communications plan, a social Femenino’s average matchday attendance for media push, buses featuring images of the players the invitation to join the new league. all of whom work for both the men’s and women’s circulating in Madrid, a signing session held at • A strong market is important: Portland is a city teams. Shared resources provide an advantage the club’s store ahead of the match, and a special (at another training centre) was 1,500 spectators. that has long embraced football. The existing compared to other franchises which don’t have celebratory event for three players who had reached community bond helped build-up a fanbase an established male team. 100 caps. for the professional women’s team. the need for sustained strategic investment over • The stadium’s location is close to downtown The fact that women’s club matches are very rarely a longer period of time. and within a walkable distance from many held in the main stadiums of the men’s teams added residential areas. to the allure of the occasion, and ticket pricing (Note — FC Barcelona Femení reported that it does was a key element to drawing attendance. to pay for their tickets as members of the home team was published in its annual review.)

36 RAISING OUR GAME ECONOMIC GROWTH IN WOMEN’S FOOTBALL 37 BROADCASTER VIEWERSHIP INTERNATIONAL VIEWERSHIP The 2017 edition of UEFA Women’s European Viewership of international football, especially of the for television viewership. The tournament in total had Having a stable broadcasting agreement and structure to build on is crucial This demonstrates the potential driving nature of 50 million more viewers than the 2013 event, while to generate both awareness and revenue. In many sports, broadcasting deals international tournaments for the women’s game. are usually negotiated at the league or competition level with the proceeds At the same time, it highlights the need for more of the Netherlands watched as the host country regular engagement with fans and viewers. formula. The overall revenue generated from this source is often a good such as England and Austria, also set national records measure of the popularity of the league and the sport, as broadcasters are as the most watched women’s football matches in looking to secure rights for sporting events with high viewership potential paint an encouraging picture. The total television their respective countries. and valuable advertising spaces. audience has been steadily increasing over the past few tournaments, with FIFA reporting that 1.12 billion viewers watched coverage of the 2019 tournament on a sobering reality is that the majority of our 2019 • International Viewership television at home, on digital platforms or out-of-home. FIFPRO Stakeholder Survey respondents admitted • Club Football Viewership The tournament reached 993.5 million unique that broadcasting rights to national team and league • New Media Channels individuals for at least one minute on in-home linear matches are often given away for free, essentially giving television, up by 30.0% on the reach of Canada 2015. up an important revenue source. This may often be a necessary step in smaller markets because the product cannot yet attain a high market valuation, Meanwhile, the growth in similar measures for the FIFA yet broadcasting games is still important to increase Men’s World Cup was only 20% — albeit from a much the visibility, generate a buzz and raise awareness. In most cases, at least the production costs are that while men’s football continues to grow on the covered by the broadcaster and, more often than not, margins, women’s football presents in relative terms the country’s public broadcaster picks up these rights. the biggest possibilities for the football industry in the years to come.

FIGURE 8. Total in-home audience reach FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP TotalFIFA in-home Women’s audience Worldreach Cup

900 750 600 450

Million viewers Million 300 150 228,0 395,9 248,5 407,8 327,8 555,6 540,6 810,9 0 2007 2011 2015 2019

FIFA MEN'S WORLD CUP TotalFIFA in-home Men’s audience World3+ consecutive reach Cup minutes 20+ consecutive minutes 6 5 4 3

Billion viewers Billion 2 1 2,22 2,74 2,13 2,74 2,65 3,04 0 2010 2014 2018

3+ consecutive minutes 20+ consecutive minutes

38 RAISING OUR GAME ECONOMIC GROWTH IN WOMEN’S FOOTBALL 39 CLUB FOOTBALL VIEWERSHIP In most other countries, the rights to women’s top Recent numbers for the Women’s World Cup and other tier matches are often sold in a bundle together with the men’s league. In Germany, for example, growth, but these events take place only once every the rights to the men’s third division and the women’s four years. It is up to the domestic leagues and club impossible to determine the value of women’s football high-quality content for football fans. as a stand-alone product, and therefore hinders the ability to negotiate broadcasting rights. Regular changes to the competition structure, general uncertainty around a league’s existence and erratic Positive examples include the Spanish, French and scheduling can hurt potential broadcast audiences. over EUR 1 million in television rights income per season in the recent past, attesting to the power slots due to the high density and fragmented calendar of centralized negotiations. of men’s competitions. Low or no income at all from broadcasting is a stumbling In this regard, women’s football still relies on the pulling block in the development path of women’s football. Centrally distributed broadcasting revenue for all clubs in a league can kick-start further growth. This requires which routinely attract over one million viewers. leadership and investment decisions to equip existing competitions for a competitive broadcasting NEW MEDIA CHANNELS Some leagues have been inventive in their approaches environment in the sports and entertainment market. The changing landscape of media consumption habits to achieving greater visibility. For example, the Damallsvenskan in Sweden has been showing all for women’s football to reach a broader audience; of their matches online for a number of seasons. FIGURE 9. new and larger audiences can be targeted all over the The FA WSL in England launched the FA Player in 2019, world at a far lower cost than was previously possible. where all top-tier league matches are streamed online

€ 3,000,000 and in the app. The NWSL in the United States streams Although television is still leading the way in live sporting € 2,500,000 broadcasts, other platforms are steadily gaining relevance. These innovative distribution methods make it easier € 2,000,000 New media channels include streaming, social media, for fans to get access, both domestically and abroad, while the combination of advertising-based platforms, € 1,500,000 broadcast solutions for distributing women’s football subscription and pay-per-view models also provide € 1,000,000 matches. While most traditional media and television income. It is important to note that none of these

€ 500,000 channels have all launched their own platforms as an streaming deals entirely replaced traditional cable 528,000 1,200,000 3,000,000 television broadcasts entirely. €0 Scandinavian top division Western European top division Southern European top division is also being embraced by popular social media platforms (e.g. Facebook and Twitter) and telecom and technology Additional leagues are choosing to stream their companies (e.g. Amazon, Verizon, Yahoo). More and more matches on their own websites or social media platforms. For example, in England the FA Player is a portfolio of online and streaming sports rights. a free live-streaming platform and has access to both tiers of women’s domestic competition. The W-League Multiple respondents to our 2019 FIFPRO Stakeholder in Australia is free and accessible to international Survey said that national team games are often available audiences in countries without a broadcasting rights to watch online, especially when the broadcast is managed holder on YouTube and through the MyFootball channel. by the public television broadcaster in their country. While this certainly needs dedicated resources, there privately-run league) of retaining creating control and shaping the perception of the league. Social media also Make bigger investments. Then the level will grow, and reach more targeted fan segments. Breaking down the match content into smaller clips is often used to the crowds will grow, the interest reach a broader audience and raise awareness.

Professional Player | Italy 2019 FIFPRO Female Player Survey

ECONOMIC GROWTH IN WOMEN’S FOOTBALL 41 OFF THE BACK OF THE WORLD CUP, NOW IS THE TIME TO KEEP PEOPLE INVESTED IN NATIONAL LEVEL, BUT AT CLUB COMING AND WATCHING. | England Chelsea FC Women

42 RAISING OUR GAME STATE OF THE GAME 43 SPONSORSHIP

Sponsorship refers to the commercial programming, VALUE This paints the picture of a sport that is clearly in DURATION merchandising and advertising of clubs, leagues, As women’s football gains more visibility and popularity, the early stages of professionalisation, with annual The evidence collected from our 2019 FIFPRO federations and/or confederations. The revenue from sponsors are beginning to tap into the economic and sponsorship deals generally valued below the Stakeholder Survey and secondary research shows these sponsorships is of paramount importance to the social capital that female players represent, as well as EUR 1 million mark. Given this, it is still possible at this that the women’s game is similar to the men’s in terms development of the game. The importance of sponsors stage to sponsor a club or competition for a relatively of the duration of sponsorships and commercial deals. Sponsors increasingly see clear advertising low fee when compared to men’s football. The same established brands and well-designed campaigns can opportunities for their products, converting such value trend is apparent in the case of national team partners fuel the awareness and interest in the game itself. into revenue streams. They are investing more than ever and competition sponsors. Consequently, for many • One of the most valuable type of rights are the title Especially in the early stages of professionalisation, before and experimenting with innovative models and companies, association to men’s football brands is often sponsorships to competitions. In women’s football securing sponsors is key in putting leagues or clubs modes of delivery to align their brands with the inherent these agreements are usually signed for at least three values that women’s football delivers upon. relatively inexpensive through the women’s game. seasons, pointing to a commitment from both parties. As already mentioned as one of the limitations to our in a professionalising sector. of the English FA WSL for a period of three years, into the following categories: starting in 2019/20. • Value commercial strength of the entities in women’s football Moreover, in our various discussions with sponsors of • For clubs and national teams, kit supplier (technical • Duration women’s football, the appealing nature of positioning sponsor) deals are generally much longer than other • Bundling of reliable data or the bundling with men’s football female players in promotional campaigns was a sponsorship types. Stakeholder survey respondents rights. That said, our 2019 FIFPRO Stakeholder Survey recurring remark. For example, Mastercard recently mentioned deals as long as 12 years, but six to eight and the complementary secondary research resulted in signed several footballers as brand ambassadors years were also not uncommon. This is in line with the including Lyon’s , Saki Kumagai, trends witnessed in men’s football: the average kit , Sam Kerr, Pernille Harder and Ada scale of sponsorship revenues that clubs and Visa has launched an initiative that helps to build the deals are generally signed for just under four years. • Several women’s football clubs reported short-term current market. The data collected in preparation for they have not done with men’s football. sponsorship deals that run for only a handful of seasons, while leagues and federations generally operate with The general commercial appeal of a sport is to a large to reach consumers. Growing public image and The length to which a company commits to sponsoring popularity of players and clubs can translate into higher a football club or competition says a lot about how commercial revenues for the sport when sponsors and they see the prospect of the partnership and their stakeholders capitalise on the opportunities. commercial investment.

FIGURE 10. FIGURE 11. Attendance and utilisation Attendance and utilisation Values league naming rights (title) sponsor deals (in EUR) Annual deal values (in EUR)

3,900,000 550,000

NWSL club 2,000,000 530,000

1,200,000 400,000

1,000,000 total commercial revenue 280,000

Scandinavia 750,000 175,000

Scandinavia 700,000 total commercial revenue 140,000

0 500,000 1,000,000 1,500,000 2,000,000 2,500,000 3,000,000 3,500,000 4,000,000 0 100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000 500,000 600,000

44 RAISING OUR GAME ECONOMIC GROWTH IN WOMEN’S FOOTBALL 45 BUNDLING Benchmarks are required to guide future deals and avoid FIFA World Cup — Sponsorship Structure As expressed by multiple stakeholders in response to undervaluation. In its current format, the FIFA Women’s World Cup up a new commercial strategy from 2022 onwards; sponsorship structure is very much tied to that of this would potentially unbundle the rights of the two to estimate the value of commercial rights of women’s the men’s. The main actors are the FIFA partners, tournaments altogether and could even introduce clubs and competitions because they are often sold a varied picture of how leagues and clubs are bundling who have great access to women’s football through dedicated tournament and regional sponsors to the as part of a larger deal that is, primarily, focused on men’s and women’s rights together. First of all, in some their agreement with the governing body. However, pyramid of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. The decision men’s teams. In some cases, the partnership with the countries, including Sweden and the United States, while being present is one thing, the level of activation will mark an important direction for the future women’s teams is simply seen as an extension to more the majority of professional women’s teams do not have and the degree of involvement in the tournament is commercial structure of the women’s game. established sponsorship relationships. As long as these another and the latter is key when discussing the value rights are not valued separately, a true market value independently. The FA Women’s Super League is the a sponsor can bring. In the build-up to the 2019 FIFA SUMMARY OF ECONOMIC GROWTH only competition in our sample in which all participating Women’s World Cup, there seemed to be a shift in There is a growing commercial interest in women’s teams are part of established, men’s football clubs attitude: while in the past some sponsors did not attach football; attendance shows signs of incredible potential, Only 30% of federations in the survey said they currently (Figure 12). strategic importance to the rights to the women’s event, broadcaster viewership is increasing, and many new have sponsors that are exclusive to their women’s there was more interest in running dedicated national team. The rest of them reported deals that Among those clubs that have both a men’s and a programmes. partners. As the (elite) men’s game is becoming even encompass both men’s and women’s teams that are more saturated with sponsorship deals and it is getting mostly built on past relationships with the men’s squad. sponsor between the two. Two-thirds of the clubs have Although the six key FIFA partners are all present at both tournaments (Figure 13), the rest of the sponsorship also poses obstacles to the independent development on the pathway for sponsorship rights bundles has to be investment. In addition, the required outlay for a deal and evaluation of the women’s game. When sponsors given on a case by case basis. However, even if rights are FIFA World Cup boasts a three-tier structure in which in women’s football is still comparatively low-cost, are shared, the total amount should also indicate the sold together, they must mark an individual value for dedicated tournament and regional sponsors join the six while the potential gains are huge if the general interest individual value attached to each team. each team to properly estimate and track the value of FIFA partners, the FIFA Women’s World Cup currently only continues to increase. This ‘low risk, high reward’ the women’s team. has so-called national partners as a second tier. scenario can be appealing to many would-be Of course, combined sponsorships are not necessarily The combined deal value of these six partners was broadcasters, sponsors and investors. detrimental to the development of women’s football, Finally, let’s take a look at the FIFA Men’s and Women’s estimated at USD 11.75 million by Sportcal. but as long as these rights are not valued separately, World Cup sponsorship landscape and how sponsorships are managed across them. FIGURE 13.

FIGURE 12. WOMEN’ WORLD CUP 2019 MEN’S WORLD CUP 2018 FRANCE RUSSIA

16 FIFA Partners FIFA Partners

12

2

4 8 2 8 4 National sponsors 6 4 1 Tournament sponsors 1 3 1 6 8 4

Number of front-of-shirt sponsorship deals sponsorship front-of-shirt of Number 4 3 6 7 1 3 2 1 7 1 345 1 5 85 0 Regional sponsors Australia England France Germany Italy Netherlands Spain Sweden USA

4

46 RAISING OUR GAME ECONOMIC GROWTH IN WOMEN’S FOOTBALL 47 CASE STUDY CASE STUDY INVESTMENT IN WOMEN’S SPORT WOMEN’S FOOTBALL SPONSORSHIP

Energy company, Iberdrola, is organising successful programs to promote women’s sport in Spain. Federation dedicated to women’s football.

The bundling of the men’s and women’s football sponsorship rights has been a common model for clubs and leagues with a presence in both. However, as the professionalisation of women’s football gains pace, it is starting to create its own structures and step out of the shadow of well-established men’s football brands. started an initiative called Women’s Universe, aiming to promote and develop women’s sport and recognise the role played by women in sport and in society, as well. baseline for future growth.

As part of this initiative, Iberdrola has organised a campaign called “Women, Health and Sport,” promoting An important step in this direction was when UEFA announced a 7-year agreement with Visa for the sponsorship success stories of women’s sport, gender equality and healthy habits from an early age. The main objective was to raise public awareness of women as active and fundamental part of sport in Spain. The programme other future partnerships that wish to unbundle these rights from men’s football. Visa have also joined UEFA’s football marketing platform (Together #WePlayStrong), which is aimed at getting more girls and women to play football. Iberdrola have also collaborated extensively with 15 Spanish sporting federations, football being one of them. The background of Iberdrola’s investment is that the company considers gender equality as one of the Why are Visa and others investing in the sport? Adrian Farina, the Head of Marketing at Visa Europe said that organisation’s essential values. The company is considered as one of the most appealing for women in Spain. the investment in women’s football was a logical next step as it is a “hugely underdeveloped opportunity”. The values of inclusion and equality that characterize women’s football are well aligned with the corporate partnerships based on shared values. language and brand of Visa. They wish to make a statement with the UEFA partnership, become a leader in

For Visa there are several assets that make women’s football an appealing proposition to potential sponsors. The authenticity and commitment of players to achieve success in a very challenging environment is a crucial male counterparts and there are fewer “superstar” clichés that might be alienating to some.

Visa is planning to leverage their investment through a variety of future initiatives, including the support for alongside the shortage of live television broadcasts and the underinvestment in the grassroots of the sport.

48 RAISING OUR GAME ECONOMIC GROWTH IN WOMEN’S FOOTBALL 49 PLAYER CONDITIONS 4

50 RAISING OUR GAME STATE OF THE GAME 51 TOP DIVISION CLUBS AND MATCHES IN 2019 FIFA WOMEN'S FIGUREWORLD 14. CUP TOP PARTICIPANT DIVISION CLUBS COUNTRIES AND MATCHES IN 2019 FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP PARTICIPANT COUNTRIES PLAYER CONDITIONS Latest full season (2018 or 2018/19)

300

250

The playing environments at international and While the public is increasingly turning its attention

domestic levels are key for the overall working to watch world class athletes compete in the FIFA 200 Women’s World Cup and Olympic Games, yet the conditions of players. The stable growth of women’s professional club game has been taking women’s football will depend heavily on both steps forward with more domestic leagues launching, 150 the domestic professional leagues and the and the strengthening of others in terms of competition national team competitions, and how these and visibility. two levels of the game interact and impact in a season matches League 100 In this next section, we look at player conditions the lives of female players. and structures in professional club football and at the national team level, and examine how they are 50 240 184 182 132 132 132 132 130 130 126 115 111 110 103 99 90 84 60 57 56 44 43 the growth of the industry. 16 16 14 12 12 12 12 12 9 16 16 9 11 11 8 10 8 12 9 8 10 7 0 Italy Spain Chile Japan China France Norway Nigeria Germany Sweden England Thailand Scotland Australia Jamaica Argentina Netherlands United States South Korea New Zealand Total matches in a season PROFESSIONAL CLUB FOOTBALL Top division clubs

WORKLOAD AND MATCH CALENDAR There are only a few fully professional leagues such as CASE STUDY In order to improve, players need to take part in matches in England (FA Women’s Super League), while the vast INTERNATIONAL MATCH CALENDAR at the highest level. In addition, the season must be majority of leagues and clubs show varying degrees of professionalism. In many cases only a select number playing opportunities that warrant the professional There are pressing issues related to the international match calendar. In some cases, status of players. the national football federation. Financial instability has there are too many clashes between club and country; in other cases, there aren’t enough plagued many of these leagues in the past, leading to opportunities for players to get a competitive match. long gaps within a season to frequent changes in the countries of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. This is Many female national team players experience In Cyprus, female players have been quitting the a sample that covers most of the countries where national team in their twenties because they hadn’t women’s football has been developing at the fastest a tough choice that no player should have to make. been entered in FIFA Women’s World Cup or UEFA rate in recent years. The data shows that even the professional status is often a costly undertaking This points to the need for FIFA and the regional European Championship qualifying. (The men’s and requires a long-term strategy and commitment. confederations to better coordinate the women’s national team have entered both competition since the top divisions have just over 11 participants. In the More elite teams would be necessary to raise the international match calendar with leagues. majority of the countries the seasons are relatively short standard of play in a country and usher in a new era and consist of less than 100 or 150 matches in total of better conditions for players. While several major A second issue tied to the international match “Even girls aged 20 and 21 have felt they had no footballing countries already have an established calendar has to do with competition structure and incentive to carry on,” one team member said. can play a maximum of 22 or even fewer matches professional league, the dominance of only a few participation. A player may get called to represent The F.A. repeatedly told players they weren’t good per season, which is hardly enough for sustained (in some cases, just one) teams creates a competitive her nation, and may even be compensated to do so, development. As a result, it is not uncommon for imbalance that hurts the growth and long-term but in many countries the federation is not utilising the women’s team into European Championship development of the sport. the international match calendar windows allocated qualifying. Although it’s too late for generations countries — even at the very top of the pyramid - in order to them. to prolong their own seasons and play the number of matches that is conducive to the career of For example, national team players in (from August 2019) against Scotland, , a professional footballer. In too many cases, went over 700 days without competing in a single Finland and Albania. female players are forced to play for multiple teams match for their country, after having displayed a solid performance at the 2015 FIFA Women’s shortcomings.

52 RAISING OUR GAME PLAYER CONDITIONS 53 WAGES Financial compensation for female players is often lacking and varies greatly between countries. Generally, salary per year, which is more than 150% higher than the it is not enough to make a decent living. salary of the 20th ranked player. These values are in the range of what an average male professional player can The 2017 FIFPRO Global Employment report found that expect in a mid-sized European top division (outside the written and detailed contracts are rare, and most of France). In contrast, leading male footballers (usual per month (after tax). Our survey asked national team participants of UEFA Champions League) usually earn players how their annual salaries have changed over the same, or more in a single month, than what the best paid female players earn in a year. the average club salaries are rising (Figure 15). Player Survey reported not receiving any money to play; this is unacceptable. These are women competing in FIFA Women’s World Cups and playing at the top of the game.

Even after removing top and bottom outliers from SALARYFIGURE 15.RECEIVED SALARY FROM RECEIVED CLUB FROM CLUB MONTHS GETTING PAID BIJ CLUB ON AVERAGE the sample, a large increase in monthly club salary is (excluding(excluding thosethose whowho dodo notnot receivereceive salarysalary atat all)all) (excluding those who do not receive salary at all) 5,000 5% and bottom 5% of answers are cut). There are 2016

In 2019, there were positive cases where women’s teams and players have been guaranteed the same minimum 4,000 wages as their clubs’ male teams; The professional 10 12 leagues for men and women in Australia (A-League and MONTHS MONTHS AVERAGE MEDIAN W-League respectively) implemented the same base condition across the two leagues. Likewise, in July 2019 3,000 to sign a collective agreement for players which guarantees women the same minimum wage, holidays, health insurance, and loss of income insurance. Net monthly salary (EUR) salary Net monthly 2,000 2018 In 2019, research by compiled a list of the estimated annual club salaries of the 20 highest-paid female players. This group is largely dominated by United States and France-based players, who took up 11 spots. This is not surprising, given that 1,000 10 12 MONTHS MONTHS AVERAGE MEDIAN and successful professional clubs.

2,734 4,123 1,331 2,425 2,169 3,662 0 AVERAGE MEDIAN AVERAGE (after removing top and bottom 5% of answers) 2016 2018

12 Note: contracts or any additional sources of income into account. All answers were translated to monthly 10

54 RAISING OUR GAME PLAYER CONDITIONS 55 8 6 Number of months of Number

4

2

0 AVERAGE MEDIAN

2016 2018 While these provisions are important, it is crucial to recognise that many clubs in the women’s game relinquish responsibility for remunerating their Respondents in the 2019 FIFPRO Female Player Survey resources. Clubs must remunerate their players appropriately in addition to providing the relevant food, along with gym membership were the primary ‘Other transportation’ often means that the club refunds the public transportation costs of a player, generally

FIGURE 16. DO YOU RECEIVE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING BENEFITS FROM YOUR CLUB?

100 60 %

51 %

80 44 % 48 % % of respondents selecting this option

37 % 36 %

60 36 %

27 % Total

40 24 % 17 % 14 %

20 12 % 5 % 3 % 83 71 60 59 43 27 22 8 5 0 0 %

Food

Education Relocation

Health insurance Gym membership Other transportation

% of respondents selecting this option

56 RAISING OUR GAME 57 FIGURE 17. DO YOU KNOW IF YOUR CLUB CLUB STAFF, STRUCTURES AND STRATEGIES TRAINING AND MATCH ENVIRONMENTS Colombian player union Acolfutpro released a report HASQ12. A DO DEFINED YOU KNOW STRATEGY IF YOUR FOR CLUB FOSTERING HAS DEFINED ANY HOLISTICThe majority STRATEGY of our 2019 FIFPRO Female Player Survey The lack of proper sporting infrastructure was listed at the end of 2019 analysing the working conditions THEFOR GROWTH FOSTERING OF THE ITS WOMEN’SGROWTH OF TEAM? THE WOMEN’S TEAM? as a challenge by most of the respondents in the 2019 in Liga Águila Profesional Femenina, the women’s executives in the governance of the game and in football FIFPRO Stakeholder Survey. This is not limited to professional league in Colombia. They found that eight club hierarchies needed to move the game forward. stadiums; even many professional teams have to out of 20 training pitches used by teams in the 2019 The lack of creativity in the marketing and promotion of contend with substandard training facilities. women’s championship, Liga Águila, were not suitable women’s football were also often cited as challenges. for professional football. Some were unsafe, others were 22 Inappropriate facilities became a global subject uneven or without grass, and most did not have In our 2019 FIFPRO Female Player Survey, we asked of debate in 2015 when female players spoke out changing rooms or showers. Yes, there is a strategy female national team players about the women’s football No, there is no clear strategy strategiesI don’t know and human resources at their professional turf — an occurrence not only subjecting them to greater clubs. The following data points provide revealing insights: discrimination.

Q12. DO YOU KNOW IF YOUR CLUB HAS DEFINED ANY HOLISTIC STRATEGY 61 If women will go to those lengths 17 In 2017, Irish female national team players spoke out FOR FOSTERING THE GROWTH OF THE WOMEN’S TEAM? has no clear strategy or they at least were not sure of it; about the humiliation of changing into their tracksuits to play football, we can only in airports because the federation would only loan them apparel. Women’s national team players from imagine how the women’s game Argentina, Brazil and Colombia have also drawn will develop under the right 22 attention to inadequate accommodation, transportation and training facilities, which are vastly inferior to their global conditions. • 23 players replied that their club has no clear strategy. male counterparts. Yes, there is a strategy Kelly Lindsey | United States No, there is no clear strategy I don’t know Former Professional Player CNN (March 2019) currently employed at their clubs and national teams to 61 17 FIGURE 19. FIGURE 19. WHAT STAFF POSITIONS/ROLES THAT ARE NOT FILLED ATDO YOUR YOU MISSCLUB THEOR NATIONAL MOST? TEAM DO YOU MISS THE MOST? investigation on improving human resources in women’s elite football at the club level. Physiotherapist 40 Team doctor 25 by players as most lacking, we should be concerned to see that physiotherapist, team doctor and assistant 12 coach are the top three reported roles (Figure 19). Nutritionist 10

Massage therapist 12

Fitness coach (strength & conditioning) 6

Psychologist 7

FIGURE 18. DO YOU THINK THERE ARE CURRENTLY ENOUGH STAFF EMPLOYED AT YOUR CLUB AND 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 NATIONALDO YOU TEAMTHINK TO THERE FULFIL ARE YOUR CURRENTLY NEEDS AS ENOUGH A PLAYER? STAFF (% EMPLOYEDof respondents selecting this option)

club and national team 43 %

There is enough at the national team, but not at my club 40 %

There is enough at my club, but not at the national team 6 % Note: In many cases players said that a function is not available to them in a full-time capacity. 11 %

58 RAISING OUR GAME PLAYER CONDITIONS 59 CASE STUDY FIFA PROPOSES SWEEPING CHANGES FOR WOMEN’S FOOTBALL DEVELOPMENT

proposals for the women’s game, two days prior to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Final. These included the creation of a FIFA Club World Cup for women; the creation of a FIFA four-year cycle from USD 500 million to USD 1 billion.

The announcements acknowledge that new plans for an expanded Club World Cup for men to initiatives, including competition creation and be played every four years, due to begin in 2021. reform, are needed to ensure that the power of In November 2019, FIFA and the Asian Football football at the elite end of the game and its Confederation (AFC) launched a “pilot” Club Championship, which was known as the 2019 Another aspect is recognition of the key role club FIFA-AFC Pilot Women’s Club Championship. This football plays in the advancement of the women’s pilot featured four teams from the AFC and ran game, and the impact that developments in club football will have on the global landscape and a single round-robin tournament, with Nippon NTV international game. For example, the FWWL would Beleza crowning the inaugural winners. aim to increase the quality and quantity of playing opportunities for women’s national teams across The investment proposals in their recent the world. It would have a unique format that allows announcements, as well as the increased access for all 211 national federations, with opportunity for visibility through elite competition, development driven from both the top down, shows that FIFA is focused on ensuring development and from the bottom up. that would cascade down though the structures of football in each participating country. The proposals Infantino stated in the press conference that he would encourage the strengthening of domestic would like to launch the Club World Cup for women competitions, and ultimately the clubs, leagues, “as soon as possible.” FIFA have already released and grassroots structures.

60 RAISING OUR GAME PLAYER CONDITIONS 61 NATIONAL TEAMS

PLAYER PAYMENTS It is common practice to only pay players if there was Many elite female players are still required to stitch a training camp in the month or if they played any for many elite female players who live in a constant Increase the together their football incomes as patchworks from matches. In some cases, players said that they receive various sources since one source — whether that be the game prematurely. Many of these players are salary so I can a single club or their national team — is often not with others stating that they only get paid if they enough to support them. participate in international competitions. There are also seasons with additional employment, not to mention instances of a performance-based payment system in where to play next season, in order to continue make football Payments for national team appearances are much which players receive compensation only if they win or developing and be able to pay their monthly bills. more infrequent than the club salary, with year-round draw a game. It must be mentioned that national team my #1 priority. compensation for national team play being rare. payments coming from the federation are generally 90% of respondents in our 2019 FIFPRO Female Player Professional Player | Many players in the 2019 FIFPRO Female Player Survey infrequent and a share of surveyed players do not Survey reported receiving their football income from their 2019 FIFPRO Female Player Survey reported that they did not receive any payment at all receive any compensation at all (although they are from their respective federations (hence the low median removed from this analysis). The results show that there was a small increase in per month national team income from sources other than club, national team or payment over the last few years. sponsor. Respondents were able to select all categories that may apply, so many of these players may likely be receiving income from a combination of sources. We also know that many female players are required to play for two or more clubs in one year in order to make FIGURE 20. SALARY RECEIVED FROM NATIONAL TEAM SALARY RECEIVED FROM NATIONAL TEAM MONTHS GETTING PAID BIJ CLUB ON AVERAGE (excluding those who do not receive salary at all) and entering full employment. (excluding those who do not receive salary at all) Pay(excluding from those national who do not receive team salary at willall) be FIGURE 21. SOURCES OF FOOTBALL INCOME 3,000 an important aspect2016 for me. From which sources do you receive your football income? (PercentangeQ6. FROM of WHICH respondents SOURCES selecting theDO option) YOU RECEIVE YOUR FOOTBALL INCOME? Compensation for national team 2,500 must be at least at the level University 3.0 % of my pay4 at work. 9.5 I do not receive any money to play 3.6 % MONTHS MONTHS Private individual 4.8 % AVERAGE MEDIAN 2,000 Professional Player | Slovakia Government 6.6 % 2019 FIFPRO Female Player Survey Olympic Committee 11.4 %

Company or Sponsor 22.8 %

1,500 My national team (FA) 79.6 %

My club 89.8 % 2018

Net monthly salary (EUR) salary Net monthly 0 % 10 % 20 % 30 % 40 % 50 % 60 % 70 % 80 % 90 % 100 %

1,000 1.5 11 500 MONTHS MONTHS AVERAGE MEDIAN

2,186 2,582 1,400 2,000 1,872 2,179 0 AVERAGE MEDIAN AVERAGE (after removing top and bottom 5% 2016 of answers) 2018 12

62 RAISING OUR GAME PLAYER CONDITIONS 63

10

8

4 Number of months of Number

6

2

0 AVERAGE MEDIAN

2016 2018 COMPETITION PARTICIPATION FIGURE 23. ACTIVITY LEVEL OF WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAMS BY CONFEDERATION Within FIFA, 100% of the member associations (MAs) ‘active’ does not take into account the regularity and 400 have a men’s national team. This is not true for the frequency of play. In other words, a team does not need 381 women’s game. Figure 22 illustrates the disparity between the men’s and women’s game at national level, 350 with 73% of the 211 national federations having an matches could occur in one FIFA window and that team would qualify as ‘active’. represents a promising rise within the women’s game as can be seen in Figure 22: in 2017 just 55% of national NATIONAL FEDERATIONS WITH WOMEN’S 300 federations had an active women’s national team FOOTBALL STRATEGIES according to the FIFA Women’s Football Member Recent data from the FIFA Member Associations Associations Survey Report 2019. 250 national federations have a women’s football strategy; football department. 200 of FIFA’s member associations have inactive senior women’s national teams.

Avg. no of spectators at league matches spectators no of Avg. 150 141 FIGURE 22. PERCENTAGE OF NATIONAL FEDERATIONS WITH ACTIVE WOMEN’S 123 109 100

EVOLUTION OF SENIOR WNTs 54 55 50 46 50 40 75 % 35 73 % 73 % 31 28 26 27 26 OF MAs WITH AN 15 10 10 11 11 8 5 ACTIVE SENIOR WNTs* 70 % 0 0 66 % 0 Confederation AFC CAF CONCACAF CONMEBOL OFC UEFA No. of member associations 55 % No. of Active WNTs No. of Inactive WNTs 50 % No. of senior matches organised* Data comes from FIFA Women’s Football Member 2015 2017 2019 Associations Survey Report 2019.

CASE STUDY SUMMARY OF PLAYER CONDITIONS A sizeable share of respondents in the 2019 FIFPRO TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION: Although some challenges were almost universally Stakeholder Survey also acknowledged that the ARGENTINA mentioned as important issues by all respondents in the domestic development of women’s football is hindered 2019 FIFPRO Stakeholder Survey, it is clear that countries by the negative cultural stigma attached to it. It is clear that the adverse conditions confronting female players level of professionalisation. The centrality of proper today are heavily rooted in biases and preconceived The Argentinian FA arranged for both the men’s and their match, they instructed the women to leave notions that have long placed a lack of value on the women’s national teams to play on consecutive stakeholder respondents, who believe this to be a major women’s game and those who play it. These biases days against in Montevideo in August 2017. concern and acknowledge that by not providing players manifest in the material realities, so moving mindsets immediately after the match. The female players with adequate working conditions, players are and changing attitudes is a crucial part of the change protested against their treatment a few months later prevented from reaching their potential. There was a required. However, female players and their professional particular emphasis on wages that are still low in most game cannot and should not wait — and indeed they are Association organised for and his hands cupped to their ears, asking for federation places, which often results in players leaving the game not, as we discuss in the next chapter. teammates to stay in a 5- hotel on the eve of early and well before they have been able to peak.

64 RAISING OUR GAME PLAYER CONDITIONS 65 THE MONEY, IT’ S ABOUT RESETTING THE PRECEDENT AND STANDING FOR WHAT WE AND FUTURE GENERATIONS DESERVE. Chinyelu Asher | Jamaica

66 RAISING OUR GAME CASE STUDY PLAYER PAYMENTS AND PRIZE MONEY

Prize money and fees granted on the basis of participation and performance in a competition are one of the key conditions of tournaments. FIFPRO has included these THE EVOLUTION OF FIFA WORLD CUP PRIZE MONEY FOR MEN’S AND WOMEN’S THE(USD EVOLUTION million) OF FIFA WORLD CUP PRIZE MONEY FOR MEN’S AND WOMEN’S within the Global Standards for International Tournaments under ‘Player Payments’ (USD million) as they essentially represent a redistribution of income from competitions to teams 440 450 and eventually to the players themselves. 400 348 358

As the professionalisation process of women’s the second highest prize pool after the FIFA 300 236 football — and women’s sport more broadly — Women’s World Cup with a total prize money of pushes forward, the issue of inadequate prize money USD 9.2 million, while the other continental

is rightfully coming to the fore. The main issue is that tournaments are far behind. The Women’s African 150 the prize money in women’s football competitions is Cup of Nations has a prize pool of slightly less than 60 30 much lower than in men’s tournaments organised by USD 1 million. In other confederations (AFC, 5,8 10 15 the same entities (FIFA, UEFA, CONMEBOL etc.). CONMEBOL, CONCACAF) there is no prize money at 0 present for playing in national team competitions. 2006/2007 2010/2011 2014/2015 2018/2019 2022/2023 The largest sum of prize money for a women’s

Regarding club competitions, the situation is similar. Men’s World Cup, which doubled to USD 30 million for Women’s the 2019 tournament. However, this still pales in Champions League, the winning club only received season, with a total prize pool of around EUR 5 to 7.5% of the total Men’s World Cup prize money million. As a comparison, the men’s Champions League’s most recent season boasts a total prize the women’s tournament, there was no prize pool close to EUR 2 billion. money at all. In CONMEBOL’s Copa Libertadores, the gaps keep In the wake of the 2019 tournament, FIFA President increasing with poor incentives and unequal promised that the prize money doubled the prize money for the champion and million) for the next Women’s World Cup in 2023. However, there are several caveats to this. News to 3 million respectively, with a total pool of of the raise came before the announcement of USD 103.5 million. In 2019, the prize pool increased 50%, reaching USD 211.1 million, with an will be distributed between more national teams. In 2019, the women’s Copa Libertadores prize money event in 2022, which only serves to further widen than the women; in other words, the women’s prize the already massive prize money gap between the two tournaments. It must also be mentioned that and FIFA have left room for negotiations in the time between now and 2023.

The UEFA Women’s European Championship has

68 RAISING OUR GAME PLAYER CONDITIONS 69 PLAYERS’ VOICES 5

70 RAISING OUR GAME STATE OF THE GAME 71 PLAYERS’ VOICES

Players have strong views about their industry. In time, many will work in the industry and help shape the game. It is essential to listen to and understand their views, interests and values for the game and their profession.

KEY MESSAGES FROM OUR 2019 FIFPRO FEMALE PLAYER SURVEY

STRONG FOUNDATIONS A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD PLAYER ACTIVISM Players have a realistic understanding of their career While players are enthusiastic about innovative prospects and measure progress not only for themselves new competitions, many want to nurture national but also for coming generations. They do not want Female players worldwide are organising and Women’s football has a rich history of player activism — short-term progress to come at the expense of to ensure the best sporting competition. A competitive demanding better conditions as their game both at the level of the individual and the collective. long-lasting solutions for the game. It is important to While activism in women’s football has taken on various professionalises. Through joining their national further develop the distinctive DNA of the women’s underpin the employment opportunities for players. forms and been carried out through numerous avenues game. That means protecting the valuable and distinct unions and establishing new ones, they are assets the women’s game has cultivated thus far — TELLING OUR STORY building collective representation. They are it has been about the demand for equality of opportunity including proximity to fans, accessible role models, Women’s football has come a long way and there is no developing collective bargaining agreements and opportunities for education. one who knows this better than the players themselves. all are treated fairly and with respect. This has created with their federations and leagues at the Players are well aware of the obstacles women’s football a strong sense of justice and solidarity amongst RECOGNISE US has overcome and the ones still ahead. This has given domestic level, and simultaneously joining in female players. For many players the biggest challenge for their solidarity at the international level to demand generation is still the daily struggle for recognition just and fair conditions for the FIFA Women’s and staying in the game. This dominates their global experiences and perspectives about their journeys. in the global economy, the role and reach of these World Cup and regional competitions. At the outlook in the women’s game and their views on industry women is also shifting. While many of the issues for responsibilities are seen through this prism. Their status A COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY same time, many of these players see their Players have experienced the lack of investment are becoming more visible, recognisable, popular and the world. Contracts are often precarious and prevent in their game and are seeking a collective vision by growing popularity and visibility to unite their public facing. Consequently, individually and as a players from being able to focus on their job federations, leagues, clubs, confederations, FIFA and collective, players are being seen more widely and struggle for women’s rights and labour rights responsibilities. action plan for the women’s game. Many players also heard more loudly as global stars and ambassadors see a key role for men’s clubs to provide expertise, of the game. At the same time, they are also joining infrastructure and equal opportunities. In the sections below, we outline some of the recent equality and justice. actions and demands of female players from across the world at both the collective and individual level, making evident the global movement underway and the power We need more belief of players’ voices to incite change. in female players. Professional Player | Portugal 2019 FIFPRO Female Player Survey

72 RAISING OUR GAME PLAYERS’ VOICES 73 CASE STUDY CASE STUDY DISCRIMINATION AND ABUSE OF WOMEN IS A GLOBAL CRISIS U.S. WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM FILES GENDER DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT

the women’s game, and in many regions, the prejudice towards women who play gender discrimination lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation over pay equity and the sport is continuous. paychecks, also impacting how they train, where they play and how often, how they A recent case in reveals the The bravery of these women has led to a global travel to matches, medical treatment and coaching. harrowing treatment confronted by female players. footballing #MeToo movement, and it’s become clear that Afghanistan is not an isolated case. This U.S. women’s team includes some of the most accomplished female athletes in the world representing Since the Afghan story broke, reports of sexual a team that is a four-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champion and four-time Olympic gold medalist. The U.S. the Afghanistan Women’s National Football Team. abuse of girls and women have surfaced around women are ranked number one in the world, 30 places above their male counterparts, and generated nearly Keramuudin Karim — then President of the Afghan the world including Colombia, Ecuador, Gabon, Football Federation (AFF) — was at the heart of Canada, India and more. these allegations. A number of the women who counterparts. Moreover, they are required to play more games than the men’s team, while they win more There is an urgent human rights crisis at hand, of them, and yet still receive less pay from the federation. country. FIFPRO supported their resettlement and lobbied FIFA for a full investigation. As the women’s game grows, so does the risk of The lawsuit stipulated that if each team played and won 20 exhibition games in a year, “Female WNT players abuse. At the governance level, appropriate In June 2019, FIFA handed down a lifetime ban for measures are needed to ensure players are protected and safe and have proper access to In October 2019, the General Secretary of AFF was reporting and remedy mechanisms. Further, bonuses, to win bonuses, to bonuses for advancing to the group stages and prize money for winning there is no clear process for urgent support of the World Cup, the U.S. women receive less than the U.S. men. for complicity and failing to act on the allegations, and FIFA continues to investigate other football stakeholders must now fully investigate and The players have made clear that this is about much more than the money. This is about ensuring decent address these systemic issues, overhaul its systems and fair working conditions that enable female players to perform and compete at their peak. And to investigation has been opened against Karim and likewise garner the support and resources that they deserve so that they can generate the full potential others. Danish sportswear manufacturer Hummel, their talent warrants. who sponsored the women’s team, cut ties with victims and whistle-blowers. AFF citing the abuse allegations. All these developments send a clear message to those seeking to abuse their power and exploit women in the game that abuse will not be tolerated.

74 RAISING OUR GAME PLAYERS’ VOICES 75 TIMELINE OF RECENT FEMALE ATHLETE ACTIVISM

Player activism takes place all over the world Female players are demanding 2018 2018 2018 2018 and touches on several issues. Female players investment in their game, a removal of the barriers inhibiting have bravely stood up for their rights and equal participation in football and WORLD SURF LEAGUE SERENA WILLIAMS AFGHANISTAN WNT WNBA Professional female Serena Williams, one of The WNBA players pushed Their demands have never had surfers fought for equal greatest athletes of all Afghanistan women’s for better treatment and themselves, into the wider society and such potential to reach and garner prize money, resulting in time, has not only been national team courageously compensation by opting an attentive audience as today. the World Surf League spoke out against sexual out of their CBA with the environment in which they are operating. The reach and platforms owned providing equal prize sexism and the necessity abuse and discrimination league. money for male and of equal pay, but has also within their federation. individuals and collectively, as well female competitors on been normalising the as general societal trends, suggest their Championship Tour. conversation about that their messages for a more just mothers returning to elite game and society will continue to sport after childbirth.

2016 2015

USWNT 2015 FIFA WWC discrimination action petitioned FIFA to change 2019 2019 2019 2019 against the US Soccer their decision to play the Federation with the Equal Employment Opportunity surfaces and opted to USWNT MACARENA SANCHEZ NADIA NADIM Commission. sue as a case of gender Reign FC and US women’s Argentinian player, discrimination. National team player USWNT sued the US Macarena Sanchez, Afghanistan as a child Rapinoe has been Soccer Federation on sued the Argentinian and became a refugee a leading voice in the th for unequal Federation and her club, in Denmark, has been pay and treatment. UAI Urquiza, demanding outspoken on refugee leveraging her prominent the recognition of her rights. In 2019 star status and football employee status and the she was named platform to propel LGBTIQ rights of female players. ambassador for Danish rights, gender equality refugee council and and racial justice. designated UNESCO champion for girls and women’s education. 2017 2017 2017

ENI ALUKO USA HOCKEY CRISTIANE Aluko courageously spoke USA Women’s hockey team 2019 out in 2017 against racial announced plans to to lead the country’s national team discrimination in women’s boycott the World triggered the retirement of several football in England and Championship, unless top players and unleashed a torrent JAMAICA WNT continues to use her they received fairer of criticism against the national Jamaica women’s national team platform to call out racial compensation and soccer federation (CBF) over several spoke out about non-payment by injustice in football. increased support. issues related to its treatment of women. Star player Cristiane was ever participation in the World Cup.

76 RAISING OUR GAME PLAYERS’ VOICES 77 CASE STUDY INSIGHTS FROM TENNIS FOR ADDRESSING THE GENDER GAP IN SPORTS

Tennis is one of the most popular women’s sports, certainly the top non-team activity. Attendance decided to join the other Grand Slams: since 2007 there has been equal prize money in all four Grand Slams. Final was watched by 3.1 million viewers, while While the prize money in all four of the major tennis the Men’s Final drew a little over 2 million. tournaments is the same for men and women, this is still not the case across other Association of Tennis Professionals and Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) of nowhere. The movement for equality in tennis competitions. The prize money in tennis has doubled was spearheaded by Billie Jean King in the 1970s, since 2009 reaching USD 130 million and today female tennis players have the opportunity to land big-money endorsements and enjoy a wide media She founded the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) coverage. But even tennis, often a best-practice with eight other players, demanding equal prize money and creating a robust structure for competitions and an appealing backdrop for sponsors and broadcasters. Top player Serena Williams, who holds the record for winning the most Grand Slam titles in the Open Era tennis prize money between the men’s and women’s — and who was the only women on the Forbes list of top 100 highest paid athletes in 2017 — was milestone happened in 1973 when the US Open to be paid equally. introduced equal prize money for the women’s and men’s tournaments. Before this decision, the relative Who believes that equal prize money in tennis is maximum prize for female players compared to their much revenue, have an equally strong viewership and which introduced equal pay was the Australian Open, consumer demand as their male counterparts must starting from 2001. There was a short period in the keep in mind that the revenue and viewership are the similar between the sexes. Interestingly, women game a chance. There is still more work to do even in tennis to expand However, the new policy of equal prize money was the chances and opportunities for women in the introduced only later. The French Open was the third game, but football can already glean some key insights. GRAND SLAM WOMEN SINGLES WINNERS' PRIZE MONEY BETWEEN 1968 AND 2018 (100%=GRAND men's SLAM event WOMENprize money) SINGLES WINNERS’WINNERS' PRIZE MONEY BETWEEN 1968 AND 2018 (100(100%= % = men's men’s event event prize prize money) money) 110 % Roland Garros 100 % 110 % 90 % Roland Garros 100 % Australian Open 80 % 90 % USAustralian Open Open 70 % 80 % 60 % US Open 70 % Wimbledon 50 % 60 % Wimbledon 40 % 50 % 30 % 40 % 20 % 30 % 10 % 20 %1968 1973 1978 1983 1988 1993 1998 2003 2008 2013 2018 10 % 1968 1973 1978 1983 1988 1993 1998 2003 2008 2013 2018 Wimbledon US Open Australian Open Roland Garros

Wimbledon US Open Australian Open Roland Garros

78 RAISING OUR GAME PLAYERS’ VOICES 79 TOP 20 ACTIVE FEMALE PLAYERS BY NUMBER OF FOLLOWERS PLAYER INFLUENCE

Facebook, Twitter and Instagram combined, million followers As female players become more visible and comparison to the men’s game and to other female speak more loudly for change at the level of athletes in terms of garnering attention and using these platforms? And what are the messages they are sending their game and society, they are gaining FOLLOWERS PLAYER POSITION CLUB COUNTRY IN MILLIONS CHANGE IN % taking place while there is ample potential to further sphere. Through these platforms they are able Forward USA 16.8 34% to market themselves and drive fan engagement from player-centric positions. reported being active on social media. In terms of Megan Rapinoe Seattle Reign USA 3.6 180% In the process, they are spreading messages of Forward Orlando Pride USA 3.6 3% inclusion, equality and authenticity as they demand possible. equal treatment and simultaneously showing how their The majority of respondents reported that their reason Sky Blue FC USA 2.8 17% beyond the game. promoting the sport (79%). About one third of Forward Orlando Pride Brazil 2.8 92% Star players are increasingly able to use their icon and 11% said it was because of the pressure and feeling Defender Orlando Pride USA 2.0 22% to generate attention and support for their game. of obligation to be present in this space. Only 1% Fans are responding and sponsors are jumping at the opportunities. Where do these women stand in Kelley O’Hara Forward Utah Royals USA 1.5 42%

Christen Press Forward Utah Royals USA 1.4 31% FIGURE 24. WHY ARE YOU ACTIVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA? Defender USA 1.4 48% Personal visibility 84 % Forward FC Barcelona Netherlands 1.4 53% Promoting the sport 79 % Promoting the club 36 % Ashlyn Harris Goalkeeper Orlando Pride USA 1.3 37% Feeling the obligation/pressure to be present 11 % Porthland Thorns USA 1.3 31% Financial income 1 % Heather O’Reilly N.C. Courage USA 1.1 7%

Morgan Brian Chicago Red Stars USA 0.9 10%

Becky Defender Utah Royals USA 0.9 13% Sauerbrunn We have to do more in general–we Toni Duggan Forward FC Barcelona England 0.8 21% Eugenie Le Forward Lyon France 0.8 39% have to be the athlete, we have to be Sommer Christiane Goalkeeper Paris Saint-Germain Chile 0.8 84% the role model, we have to lead the Endler Meghan Defender Porthland Thorns USA 0.7 2% Klingenberg | United States Orlando Pride Mallory Pugh Forward USA 0.7 85% Time Magazine (May 2019)

80 RAISING OUR GAME PLAYERS’ VOICES 81 FAR TOO OFTEN WE SEE WOMEN HAVING TO MAKE A CHOICE BETWEEN MOTHERHOOD AND THEIR CAREER. IT WOULD BE VERY SAD TO LOSE OUT ON THE TALENT WE HAVE BECAUSE THEY FEEL LIKE THEY CAN’T DO BOTH. Sydney Leroux Dwyer | United States Orlando Pride

82 RAISING OUR GAME STATE OF THE GAME 83 COLLECTIVE BARGAINING & ORGANISING 2015 2015 2017 Female players in Italy made an The Australian women’s national After Danish female players protested important breakthrough in their team abandoned their training camp over pay and conditions by sitting out Collective bargaining in professional women’s If we look at the four countries that made it to the quest to be recognised as full-time and canceled their trip to play a match against Holland and a World football helps to identify the right balance professionals, after the threat of against World Champions USA as USA, Sweden, Netherlands, England — it is no strike action saw local football protest against the disrespectful Danish team successfully negotiated between employment conditions of players coincidence that all four of these countries have treatment from their federation; a new four-year agreement on working and the economic resources of leagues, clubs strong collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) previously agreed principles in they stated they would only make conditions with their federation. and federations to allow sustainable growth in place between their women’s national teams writing. their appearance when there was The agreement allows the players for the women’s game. However, not enough and the federations. a new CBA between PFA Australia to combine their daily life with the and the FFA. national team. players are given the opportunity to play a part in developing their industry.

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS OF 2019

2017 2017 2017 USA NETHERLANDS CBA SIGNED 2017 CBA SIGNED 2017 The Republic of Ireland women’s team The Argentina women’s national Norway’s footballers signed an spoke out about their sub-standard team went on strike in 2017 over equal-pay agreement with the conditions including changing in airport non-payment of USD 10 stipends, Norwegian FA that will see all bathrooms and sharing tracksuits. and citing structural problems and international senior male and female The Irish women had the Professional lack of basic resources to properly players paid the same wages. SWEDEN ENGLAND Footballers Association of Ireland (PFAI) train and play matches. CBA SIGNED 2017 CBA SIGNED 2019 represent them in negotiations with of Ireland (FAI) to improve their conditions.

The top ranked team in the world, the US has the top all federally funded educational institutions; for sports conditions for its players as negotiated in their new CBA; this means that athletic programs across schools and Sweden also signed a new agreement in 2017 with much universities are required to provide equal access, improved conditions and which ensures the same structure as their male counterparts. England likewise signed a CBA in 2019 just prior to the World Cup; In UEFA’s recently released Women’s Football Strategy and the Netherlands’ new agreement will guarantee equal conditions with their male counterparts by 2023. establishment of collective agreements in women’s The example of the US national team also shows the importance of elite talent development and access While similar commitments have yet to be made by 2018 2019 2019 to equal training and development opportunities from the other confederations, it is encouraging to witness an early age onwards. The existence of US government an increase in collective action amongst the female regulation through Title IX of the Education The Finnish FA announced a new In November 2019 the National Amendments Act of 1972, had a huge impact on the concerns and demands for better conditions and footballers reached an historic four-year equal pay deal, wherein Federation of Australia and the sport system in the United States. This federal civil rights collective bargaining. agreement wherein both male and it will pay its men’s and women’s law protects people from discrimination based on sex in female players fall under the same national teams equally and hopes landmark CBA that closes the pay contract. the example will inspire other gap between Australia’s men’s entities involved in women’s football. and women’s national teams.

84 RAISING OUR GAME PLAYERS’ VOICES 85 CASE STUDY PLAYERS PURSUE CHANGE IN SOUTH AMERICA

The registration and participation of teams in South America remains a key concern, but players are organising and demanding proper and equal treatment.

Uruguay — were removed from the women’s FIFA ranking as a result of inactivity for over 730 days. This stagnation, allied to opportunities for female players in the region to share experiences and organise collectively, prompted a female player-led movement in South America demanding proper and equal treatment.

Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Uruguay and Venezuela. This meeting created a space for international collaboration amongst the players and emphasized the importance of collective action for women to reach agreements and progress in improving the conditions.

Many collective actions to defend the rights of female players in Latin America have subsequently taken place as outlined on the following pages.

86 RAISING OUR GAME PLAYERS’ VOICES 87 FEMALE PLAYERS ORGANISING IN SOUTH AMERICA: A TIMELINE 2016 2017 2018

First professional women’s league launches in Colombia and SEPTEMBER APRIL Venezuela. After 17 years, Cristiane resigns During Copa América, Argentina’s from Brazil’s national team due women’s national team demand AUGUST to the conditions. improved conditions by recreating Riquelme’s iconic goal celebration Chile establishes their own female In Argentina, the national team and protest gesture. footballer players’ association, goes on a two- week strike to force ANJUFF. The organisation their federation to improve collaborates with the Chilean conditions. Less than a year later AUGUST FIFPRO member, SIFUP. they qualify for the FIFA Women’s 2019 World Cup after a 12-year absence. FIFPRO South American Women’s CONMEBOL’s club licensing Forum held in Chile with female regulations come into force: MARCH JULY players and union representatives to compete internationally clubs OCTOBER from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, must have a female team and one The Colombian players’ union Colombia, Uruguay and Venezuela. female youth category. league in Argentina. AFA, in an request an intervention from the Brazilian players write an open agreement with players’ union (FAA) constitutional court for discrim- letter over conditions and the covers the professional contract of ination against female players. unequal treatment of women DECEMBER JANUARY eight players per squad. It contains in the federation. a wage slightly above the national Female players get two seats Argentinian player, Macarena minimum, social security cover and France was viewed by more than on the board of the Uruguayan Sanchez, who participated in the a preseason medical check-up from 35 million people on Globo TV in Football Association. FIFPRO Forum, sues the Argentinian the FAA. Brazil, the largest domestic audience Federation and her club, UAI Urquiza, to watch a women’s football match demanding the recognition of her The Colombian federation tries anywhere in history. employee status. to end the professional league. The decision is revoked. With a working group including female NOVEMBER FEBRUARY players and union representatives the league is improved. The Argentina players’ union and FA reach an agreement on player female players are established by In Chile, Members of Parliament pregnancy. Players will receive the Santiago Morning Club, Chile. elaborate a bill to professionalise their salary until returning to women’s football. activity, even if the contract expires. In Colombia, players begin a social media campaign to New attendance record for improve conditions. APRIL women’s football in Brazil: Ecuadorian players accuse national of São Paulo state championship.

A lawyer and some Colombian DECEMBER players created AFUTCOL an association for female players. Brazil and Colombia bid for the FIFA WWC 2023, a continent that the growing attention for WF.

88 RAISING OUR GAME PLAYERS’ VOICES 89 CALL TO ACTION 6

90 RAISING OUR GAME STATE OF THE GAME 91 CALL TO ACTION

As female players organise, the call to action is loud and clear: fair treatment, decent work, equal opportunities and the right to viable career paths as professionals in this industry. Players are the most important resource for all football teams and the athlete is conditions that support the physical and mental well-being of players and protect and promote their ability and integrity.

While there are going to be numerous models that might match the ambitions and potential in the game. be applied to foster the growth of sustainable This means the establishment of basic global standards employment markets for professional women’s football, for player conditions at both the domestic club level there is one common denominator required: the working and the international level. conditions under which players train and perform must ESTABLISHING STANDARDS FOR THE WORKING CONDITIONS OF PLAYERS

International labour standards set out the basic IMPLEMENTATION AND ENFORCEMENT principles and rights at work. The International Establishing these industry standards is essential, Labour Organisation (ILO) has developed a system of but the full application of such working standards international labour standards aimed at promoting depends on proper implementation and enforcement. opportunities for people to obtain decent and How these standards for player conditions are applied productive work, in conditions of freedom, equity, must be monitored and enforced through a joint security and dignity. Meeting these labour standards responsibility between FIFA and FIFPRO. and creating the conditions of work that comply with national and international standards is essential These standards for global conditions will only be to players in the football industry and the protection the bare minimum required. How these conditions of their rights as athletes. leagues, and clubs. However, they must be implemented in order to ensure that players are at the centre of We need to set standards, the game’s development. As FIFPRO, we are not suggesting a single model or formula for the and these should not be based implementation of these conditions. Rather we on what the women will are presenting them as necessary ingredients. accept but rather a higher set of standards similar to what would be done for men.

Professional Player | Canada 2019 FIFPRO Female Player Survey

92 RAISING OUR GAME CALL TO ACTION93 GLOBAL MINIMUM LABOUR CONTRACTS SOCIAL PROTECTION GLOBAL MINIMUM LABOUR 1 Written contracts are an essential component 7 Social security is a human right which responds STANDARDS FOR PROFESSIONAL of recognising the professional status of to the universal need for protection against STANDARDS FOR PROFESSIONAL players and ensuring they are protected under employment law. Agreements between leagues social security systems guarantee income FOOTBALL and players, and between national federations security and health protection. Players must FOOTBALL and players, are also crucial. A lack of written be guaranteed minimum standards of protection contracts in the women’s game creates — just like workers in other professions — Together with the need to recognise the fundamental worker’s rights and deep-seated insecurity and uncertainty, human rights of players is the necessity for the industry to establish a set of leaving players unprotected. unemployment, old age, employment injury, data protection, and maternity and parental global minimum labour standards for the working conditions of professional responsibility. female football players. The following 12 categories require minimum labour HEALTH & SAFETY rules for global professional women’s football: 2 Players must be safe from precarious conditions and protected from harm arising from their PLAYER DATA PROTECTION employment, including protection from abuse, 8 Pl ayers have the right to protection and violence and harassment in the workplace. exploitation of their image and their personal and performance data. Data protection, TRAINING & MATCH ENVIRONMENTS 3 Pl ayers must be given the adequate use of personal player data. The rights of players infrastructure, facilities and material conditions and the application of data privacy rights to the EDUCATION CONTRACTS to perform their job at their peak. Proper playing football industry are emphasised in more detail environments also means appropriate human by the FIFPRO Charter of Players Rights. ACCESS TO HEALTH & REMEDY SAFETY FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION & WAGES & COMPENSATION COLLECTIVE BARGAINING 4 Players must receive adequate and regular E very professional player has the right to wages. The regular payment of wages and the organise and join player unions that are guarantee of a minimum wage are necessary. independent of government and employer TRAINING & DISCRIMINATION MATCH has the right to collective bargaining. ENVIRONMENTS WORKLOAD 5 recovery periods. Within the club environment, 10 Every player is entitled to equality of opportunity players must have a mid-season break and an without distinction of any kind and to be FREEDOM OF $ free from discrimination, harassment, ASSOCIATION & WAGES & paid leave. This is about ensuring their rights abuse and violence. COLLECTIVE COMPENSATION as workers are protected and the expected BARGAINING high performance standards are upheld while safeguarding players’ physical and ACCESS TO REMEDY mental health. 11 remedy in the event that their rights are violated. PLAYER DATA Players must be empowered to alert authorities PROTECTION WORKLOAD EMPLOYMENT PROMOTION about gaps and defects in the application of 6 Stakeholders representing management as these global player conditions and to advocate employers, governing bodies or investors in for proper enforcement. the international football community must take SOCIAL EMPLOYMENT PROTECTION PROMOTION action to promote employment and sustainable growth in professional football. This means EDUCATION a) promoting competition participation; 12 T o achieve their full potential, every player b) stabilising and innovating competitions; has the right to an education and the pursuit c) marketing competitions; and of work and life beyond sport supplemented Note: Each of these categories must have a minimum standard below which no condition d) ensuring work-life balance. by the resources of the sport. shall fall. Yet, this minimum standard must not become a cap. For example, management (FA’s / Clubs) can and should be encouraged through collective bargaining to give their CALL TO ACTION 96 Photo by: Jed Leicester/BPI/REX97 GLOBAL MINIMUM LABOUR CONTRACTS SOCIAL PROTECTION GLOBAL MINIMUM LABOUR 1 Written contracts are an essential component 7 Social security is a human right which responds STANDARDS FOR PROFESSIONAL of recognising the professional status of to the universal need for protection against STANDARDS FOR PROFESSIONAL players and ensuring they are protected under employment law. Agreements between leagues social security systems guarantee income FOOTBALL and players, and between national federations security and health protection. Players must FOOTBALL and players, are also crucial. A lack of written be guaranteed minimum standards of protection contracts in the women’s game creates — just like workers in other professions — Together with the need to recognise the fundamental worker’s rights and deep-seated insecurity and uncertainty, human rights of players is the necessity for the industry to establish a set of leaving players unprotected. unemployment, old age, employment injury, data protection, and maternity and parental global minimum labour standards for the working conditions of professional responsibility. female football players. The following 12 categories require minimum labour HEALTH & SAFETY rules for global professional women’s football: 2 Players must be safe from precarious conditions and protected from harm arising from their PLAYER DATA PROTECTION employment, including protection from abuse, 8 Pl ayers have the right to protection and violence and harassment in the workplace. exploitation of their image and their personal and performance data. Data protection, TRAINING & MATCH ENVIRONMENTS 3 Pl ayers must be given the adequate use of personal player data. The rights of players infrastructure, facilities and material conditions and the application of data privacy rights to the EDUCATION CONTRACTS to perform their job at their peak. Proper playing football industry are emphasised in more detail environments also means appropriate human by the FIFPRO Charter of Players Rights. ACCESS TO HEALTH & REMEDY SAFETY FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION & WAGES & COMPENSATION COLLECTIVE BARGAINING 4 Players must receive adequate and regular E very professional player has the right to wages. The regular payment of wages and the organise and join player unions that are guarantee of a minimum wage are necessary. independent of government and employer TRAINING & DISCRIMINATION MATCH has the right to collective bargaining. ENVIRONMENTS WORKLOAD 5 recovery periods. Within the club environment, 10 Every player is entitled to equality of opportunity players must have a mid-season break and an without distinction of any kind and to be FREEDOM OF $ free from discrimination, harassment, ASSOCIATION & WAGES & paid leave. This is about ensuring their rights abuse and violence. COLLECTIVE COMPENSATION as workers are protected and the expected BARGAINING high performance standards are upheld while safeguarding players’ physical and ACCESS TO REMEDY mental health. 11 remedy in the event that their rights are violated. PLAYER DATA Players must be empowered to alert authorities PROTECTION WORKLOAD EMPLOYMENT PROMOTION about gaps and defects in the application of 6 Stakeholders representing management as these global player conditions and to advocate employers, governing bodies or investors in for proper enforcement. the international football community must take SOCIAL EMPLOYMENT PROTECTION PROMOTION action to promote employment and sustainable growth in professional football. This means EDUCATION a) promoting competition participation; 12 T o achieve their full potential, every player b) stabilising and innovating competitions; has the right to an education and the pursuit c) marketing competitions; and of work and life beyond sport supplemented Note: Each of these categories must have a minimum standard below which no condition d) ensuring work-life balance. by the resources of the sport. shall fall. Yet, this minimum standard must not become a cap. For example, management (FA’s / Clubs) can and should be encouraged through collective bargaining to give their CALL TO ACTION 96 Photo by: Jed Leicester/BPI/REX97 GLOBAL STANDARDS FACILITIES & EQUIPMENT PLAYER PAYMENTS GLOBAL STANDARDS 1 The provision of suitable training and match Every player has the right to share fairly in FOR INTERNATIONAL facilities is an essential element of competition. the economic activity and wealth of their sport FOR INTERNATIONAL These are the grounds on which players prepare and receive fair and just pay and remuneration, for and perform. The quality and standard must including prize money. For some female players TOURNAMENTS competing for their country, the overlap between TOURNAMENTS pose serious challenges to the development club and national team can add a layer of of the women’s elite game. stability and job security. When it comes to major international tournaments, a single universal standard for playing conditions must be established and implemented. MATCH SCHEDULE ACCOMMODATION Competitive tournaments and major These standard conditions must be instituted and enforced by the 2 competitions must have a suitable number of competition organisers to ensure that players participating in elite global high-performance environment for teams is games with appropriate spacing between competitions — both club or national team — are protected and can perform important to ensure they are well-rested during matches. The spacing between national team at their peak. competition. This has implications for the number and club games must also be accounted for as of players per room, the distance between the the player transitions between domestic and hotels and the training grounds, and various international competition. National federations other elements of these arrangements. Match Calendar windows allocated to them TRANSPORTATION and participate in competition. 3 The conditions of transportation for national PLAYER DATA FACILITIES & teams to competitions and between matches TOURNAMENT PREPARATION PROTECTION EQUIPMENT are crucial to the wellbeing and performance 9 R esources and support provided by the of players. This has implications for mode of tournament organiser as preparation should be transportation as well as features of travel the same for male and female players competing ACCOMMODATION DISCRIMINATION in the respective events. Resources going into preparation via the federation, the club or directly HEALTH & SAFETY 4 Players must be protected from precarious PARENTAL POLICY recovery time. All national team players must 10 have comprehensive medical coverage in the PARENTAL TRANSPORTATION POLICY event that they become injured on national team temporarily withdraws from the national team while pregnant she must not lose any doctor, physical trainer, physical therapist and psychologist. travelling with an infant must receive adequate

TECHNOLOGY HEALTH & TOURNAMENT New technology also has a key role to play PREPARATION SAFETY 5 in the evolution of football, with cutting-edge 11 E very player is entitled to equality of opportunity devices and materials increasingly needing to without distinction of any kind and to be free be integrated into the experience of the players. from discrimination, harassment, abuse and violence.

MATCH TEAM STAFF PLAYER DATA PROTECTION SCHEDULE TECHNOLOGY 6 12 Players have the right to protection and $ exploitation of their image and their personal and team delegation should include at a minimum PLAYER PAYMENTS TEAM STAFF a head coach, assistant coach, team coordinator, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) apply to the collection and use of personal player data. The rights of players and the application of data privacy rights to the football industry 7 Charter of Players Rights.

98 RAISING OUR GAME CALL TO ACTION 100 STATEPhoto OF THE by: Dave GAME Shopland/BPI/REX101 GLOBAL STANDARDS FACILITIES & EQUIPMENT PLAYER PAYMENTS GLOBAL STANDARDS 1 The provision of suitable training and match Every player has the right to share fairly in FOR INTERNATIONAL facilities is an essential element of competition. the economic activity and wealth of their sport FOR INTERNATIONAL These are the grounds on which players prepare and receive fair and just pay and remuneration, for and perform. The quality and standard must including prize money. For some female players TOURNAMENTS competing for their country, the overlap between TOURNAMENTS pose serious challenges to the development club and national team can add a layer of of the women’s elite game. stability and job security. When it comes to major international tournaments, a single universal standard for playing conditions must be established and implemented. MATCH SCHEDULE ACCOMMODATION Competitive tournaments and major These standard conditions must be instituted and enforced by the 2 competitions must have a suitable number of competition organisers to ensure that players participating in elite global high-performance environment for teams is games with appropriate spacing between competitions — both club or national team — are protected and can perform important to ensure they are well-rested during matches. The spacing between national team at their peak. competition. This has implications for the number and club games must also be accounted for as of players per room, the distance between the the player transitions between domestic and hotels and the training grounds, and various international competition. National federations other elements of these arrangements. Match Calendar windows allocated to them TRANSPORTATION and participate in competition. 3 The conditions of transportation for national PLAYER DATA FACILITIES & teams to competitions and between matches TOURNAMENT PREPARATION PROTECTION EQUIPMENT are crucial to the wellbeing and performance 9 R esources and support provided by the of players. This has implications for mode of tournament organiser as preparation should be transportation as well as features of travel the same for male and female players competing ACCOMMODATION DISCRIMINATION in the respective events. Resources going into preparation via the federation, the club or directly HEALTH & SAFETY 4 Players must be protected from precarious PARENTAL POLICY recovery time. All national team players must 10 have comprehensive medical coverage in the PARENTAL TRANSPORTATION POLICY event that they become injured on national team temporarily withdraws from the national team while pregnant she must not lose any doctor, physical trainer, physical therapist and psychologist. travelling with an infant must receive adequate

TECHNOLOGY HEALTH & TOURNAMENT New technology also has a key role to play PREPARATION SAFETY 5 in the evolution of football, with cutting-edge 11 E very player is entitled to equality of opportunity devices and materials increasingly needing to without distinction of any kind and to be free be integrated into the experience of the players. from discrimination, harassment, abuse and violence.

MATCH TEAM STAFF PLAYER DATA PROTECTION SCHEDULE TECHNOLOGY 6 12 Players have the right to protection and $ exploitation of their image and their personal and team delegation should include at a minimum PLAYER PAYMENTS TEAM STAFF a head coach, assistant coach, team coordinator, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) apply to the collection and use of personal player data. The rights of players and the application of data privacy rights to the football industry 7 Charter of Players Rights.

98 RAISING OUR GAME CALL TO ACTION 100 STATEPhoto OF THE by: Dave GAME Shopland/BPI/REX101 PROFESSIONAL STATUS OF PLAYERS

CASE STUDY It is crucial that the professional status of Exacerbating the situation is the fact that female players PROFESSIONAL STATUS OF PLAYERS IN ARGENTINA players be recognised as the starting point. have seldom demanded their rights and protections due to a long history of oppression in the game. In other words, the work carried out by female More positively, the situation has started to show signs One of the most football-mad nations, with some of the best players in the world, of change over the past couple years with female has a culture — at all levels — of hostility towards women in football. Traditionally players from various countries, including Australia, the life of female players in Argentina has been precarious. One of the biggest challenges confronting many female United States, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ireland, players in the elite game today is that they are playing Sweden, Denmark and New Zealand, organising and under professional obligations without being granted speaking up for their rights. For over two years the national team was inactive by the players’ association, and a working group professional status. Without such legal status and the main league — based only in the capital — set between both parties. recognition, the protection of the players’ labour rights Respondents to the 2019 FIFPRO Female Player Survey was barely surviving with no money invested by the It was announced that AFA will provide assistance is at risk as they are excluded from the scope of national stated the following reasons why having professional national football federation. This meant no coverage to clubs that do not have their own facilities and employment legislation and, moreover, there is no status is important (Figure 25). create a high performance centre in Buenos Aires. ground on which to professionalise the sport. gear, technical support, marketing, prize money, The health of players will be looked after, with all This is actively hampering and putting barriers on salaries, accommodation, nor strategy to enhance players having medical checks carried out by the unleashing the potential of the women’s game — Success for women’s football the activity. union. Additionally, a federal cup will promote the the decades of bans on women’s football may have game outside the capital city. The number of players been lifted, but the lack of professional recognition would be that it’s globally Everything depended on clubs, and the players will inevitably increase given a continuity clause serves as a form of modern-day ban. Because so many accepted and viewed as a real job. shouldered most of the weight. Some even paid their in the CBA, which states that players with professional female players are not recognised as such clubs to participate in the main league. This scenario professional contracts can only move to another by football stakeholders, players are not given Girls shouldn’t have to work underwent an important shift when an agreement club with the same status. the appropriate rights and protection as workers. was signed between the federation (AFA) and One of the many implications is that they cannot join on the side to be able to live. players’ union, Futbolistas Argentinos Agremiados, The negotiation was triggered by the legal action unions or collectively bargain the terms of their Professional Player | The Netherlands on 16 March 2019: Women’s football in Argentina started by the player Macarena Sanchez, who lodged involvement in the game. 2019 FIFPRO Female Player Survey became professional. a complaint in the national labour courts against her club UAI Urquiza and AFA asserting that she had been employed by the club for 6 years, yet this The minimum number of professional contracts is had not been recognised. Her legal case was still FIGURE 25. now eight per club: the conditions applied to these pending at the time of publication. 120 90 % professional players are the same as to those applied I do not know when this report will be published, 120 90 % to the male players of the 4th division under a but by then there will probably be a decision in the % of respondents selecting this option Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA): a standard Macarana Sanchez case. Maybe the decision is 74,4 % % of respondents selecting this option contract, social security, infrastructure check done already there.

80 74,4 % 60 %

80 59,0 % 60 % 59,0 % 52,6 % Total 52,6 % 47,4 % Total 47,4 % 40 22,4 % 19,9 % 30 % 40 22,4 % 19,9 % 30 %

116 92 82 74 35 31 0 116 92 82 74 35 31 0 % 0 0 %

In order to be paid

In order to be paid

Photo by: Julien Mattia/NurPhoto % of respondents selecting this option

% of respondents selecting this option 102 RAISING OUR GAME CALL TO ACTION 103 CONCLUSIONS 7

104 RAISING OUR GAME GROWTH OF PROFESSIONAL WOMEN’S FOOTBALLPhoto by: Press105 Sports CONCLUSIONS

We cannot completely copy As shown in our assessment of industry growth and the current playing environments, the upward growth path for women’s football has not been linear nor consistently progressive and there is great the format of men’s football, variance occurring across and within regions and competitions. However, there are encouraging signs: women’s football is full of opportunities. In order to nurture the further development of the we have to walk another way. professional game worldwide, this expansion must be assessed and approached from outside Professional Player | Brazil business as usual and we must listen to the voices of the players. 2019 FIFPRO Female Player Survey

It is clear that no single formula is going to serve as a LEADERSHIP: DEVELOP A UNITED VISION RESEARCH: COLLECT, DOCUMENT VISIBILITY: BUILD THE PROFILE A clear and united vision should be a starting point that AND ANALYSE DATA OF WOMEN’S FOOTBALL base of proper conditions and fair treatment are the guides the planning for the future growth of the sport. FIFA and member associations are recognising that the Professional sports are a popular form of entertainment, cornerstones for building the future of women’s football. For some, women’s football is still primarily considered capable of reaching huge audiences and generating Economic growth must be grounded in the as a social responsibility initiative. Others increasingly be updated: female players must be counted and emotion from the fans. In recent years more and more establishment of labour standards that become the believe in its commercial power and plan to exploit its media outlets have featured coverage of women’s responsibility of national federations, leagues and clubs potential. Of course, this lack of coordinated vision does and monitoring systems of the game. For example, football, especially in the wake of successful national to implement and enforce at domestic levels. Ultimately, not necessarily mean that there are no strategic plans. the integration of female players into FIFA’s Transfer team tournaments that have captured the imagination of when labour standards are in place, growth can equate Matching System (TMS) occurred in 2018, with data the general public. Moreover, inclusion, equality, fair play to higher standards of play, more professional clubs, strategy and many confederations are following suit. starting to accumulate. Likewise, it is becoming and close player-fan relationships are all values that are and stronger competitions on all fronts. This has the The UEFA Women’s Football Strategy shows encouraging recognised that regulations concerning the employment often associated with women’s sport. This puts women’s potential to be a virtuous cycle. signs on collective bargaining agreements and overall and playing schedule of players, including the FIFA football in a prime position to have an educational role player conditions and development. However, a Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP), and shape the perception of the public and challenge Various stakeholders of the women’s game seem to commonly accepted development path that could must be revised and made applicable to the women’s stereotypes. Embracing this ‘ambassadorial’ role, and increasingly recognise that the existing conditions are strengthen all initiatives into women’s football has yet game. It is also increasingly clear that regulations from showcasing these values, is an opportunity for women’s inadequate and agree on the importance of change. to be articulated. the men’s game, many of which also require revision as well, should not be blindly applied to the women’s game. early phase of the development of the game to set basic This could lead to negative developments, such as the and fundamental employment rights. This will require application of training compensation rules which could Potential of the Football Future GOVERNANCE: REFORM, INNOVATE AND How we value our own product shapes how others value and stakeholders together with the players through REGULATE development of girl players. it. The international football community cannot expect innovation, reform and regulation in the following ways. The conditions are largely dependent on the governance professional women’s football to excel if we undermine and economic actions of stakeholders, entailing its most valuable assets — the players — and until we investment of resources and leadership. The rules, recognise its contribution as a powerful resource for regulations and policies that are put in place in and PARTNERSHIPS: ENGAGE STAKEHOLDERS sport and society. While the growth of football is driven around the game serve a central role in shaping the Professionalisation does not stop with more players by external opportunities and strategic decisions of landscape of the sport and the playing conditions under achieving full-time status nor the implementation of the industry, unless the players have the opportunity to which professional players work. This means that global labour standards — these represent the foundation upon perform to their full potential, progress will be hindered. and regional policy reform, resource mobilsation, shifts which all the other ingredients can be soundly added. Proper and fair labour conditions will lay the groundwork We need all in regulations and legislation, and new frameworks must Professionalisation must also be present in the business for a sound and stable professionalisation process and be established. This implicates governing bodies in the processes and support environment around women’s the actors to unify game, including FIFA and its member associations; football. The commitment of sponsors, media and other automatically come in tandem with economic growth — sponsors, investors and the media; and it also means partners sends a strong message to the market and instead they require top-down governance actions to and come together bolsters the industry. A viable business case is important establish standards and ensure these are implemented integrate female players into their structures for fair and across leagues and tournaments worldwide. on this. adequate representation. When the women’s game but the business case must not be used to justify the If the professional football industry believes in the future movement. Female players deserve the right to of women’s football, this must be done with the players Professional Player | Spain sport and players into the regulations, it also means that professional careers as footballers. as equal partners who have a shared interest in 2019 FIFPRO Female Player Survey formal investments can be made. the future of their game.

106 RAISING OUR GAME CONCLUSIONS 107 SO MANY HAVE PLAYED A PART TO HELP GROW THE GAME TO WHERE IT IS TODAY. BUT REMEMBER, WE’RE NOT FINISHED YET. Elise Kellond-Knight | Australia Twitter (November 2019)

108 RAISING OUR GAME STATEPhoto OF by: THE AP GAME Photo/Thibault109 Camus ANNEX

WORLD PLAYERS ASSOCIATION UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF PLAYER RIGHTS

Every Player:

1. HAS THE RIGHT to a sporting environment that is 9. IS ENTITLED to a safe and secure workplace well governed, free of corruption, manipulation and sporting environment, which promotes and cheating and protects, respects and the player’s safety, physical and mental health guarantees the fundamental human rights and his or her social wellbeing. He or she must be treated and supported with utmost integrity including the player. by healthcare professionals when injured or ill, and have direction and control over that treatment 2. HAS THE RIGHT to access and pursue sport as and support a career and profession based solely on merit. 10. HAS THE RIGHT to an education and the pursuit 3. IS ENTITLED to equality of opportunity in the of work and life beyond sport supplemented pursuit of sport without distinction of any kind and by the resources of the sport free of discrimination, harassment and violence. A player’s right to pursue sport cannot be limited 11. HAS THE RIGHT to a private life, privacy and because of his or her race, colour, birth, age, protection in relation to the collection, language, sexual orientation, gender, disability, storage and transfer of personal data pregnancy, religion, political or other opinion, responsibilities as a carer, property or other status. 12. IS ENTITLED to have his or her name, image and performance protected. A player’s name, image 4. who is a minor IS ENTITLED to the opportunity to and performance may only be commercially freely pursue sport in an inclusive, adapted and utilised with his or her consent, voluntarily given safe manner, and to have his or her rights as a child protected, respected and guaranteed 13. HAS THE RIGHT to freedom of opinion and expression 5. HAS THE RIGHT to work, to the free choice of employment, and to move freely in pursuit of 14. HAS THE RIGHT to the protection of the law that work and employment and equality before it

6. HAS THE RIGHT to organise and collectively 15. IS ENTITLED to due process including, where bargain and to form and join player and athlete charged, to the presumption of innocence. Any associations and unions for the protection of penalty must be lawful, proportionate and just his or her interests 16. IS ENTITLED to have any dispute resolved 7. HAS THE RIGHT to share fairly in the economic through an impartial and expeditious grievance activity and wealth of his or her sport which mechanism in which the player has an equal say players have helped generate in the appointment of the grievance panel, arbitrator or other decision-making person or 8. HAS THE RIGHT to just and favourable body. His or her sport must ensure he or she is remuneration and conditions of work, including a minimum wage, fair hours of work, rest, leisure, where his or her rights under this Declaration the protection of wages, the certainty of a secure have not been protected or respected contract, the protection of his or her status as a worker within the employment relationship 17. HAS A DUTY to respect the rights of his or her and equal pay for equal work fellow players under this Declaration, and to respect the fundamental human rights of

110 RAISING OUR GAME Photo by:ANNEX Maria Lysaker/CSM/REX111

@ This report was realised in association with KPMG Football Benchmark +31 23 554 6970 Photo cover by: ZUMA Press, Inc. 161, Main photo sources: Hollandse Hoogte Getty Images

112 RAISING OUR GAME