Women's football is booming, but Fifpro says players are left behind

Key takeaways

• Fifpro's survey suggests that the money flowing into women's football is not yet reaching many of the players who make the game.
• Low wages and insecure contracts remain common in women's professional football, according to the BBC's account of the survey.
• The survey also points to rising psychological stress among players, which Fifpro links to the conditions they work under.
• Short contracts and limited protections shape how women's transfers work, because they decide who holds the bargaining power when a player moves.
• How leagues, clubs and governing bodies respond to the findings will show whether commercial growth turns into better employment standards.

What is Fifpro reporting about women's football?

BBC Sport reports that a Fifpro survey shows a sport in two states at once. At the top level, women's football is growing fast enough to be heading for billion-dollar status as an industry. Underneath that, many of the professionals who play it still earn low wages, work on insecure contracts and report rising psychological stress.

Fifpro is the worldwide federation of national players' associations. Its job is to represent footballers collectively, much as a trade union does in any other industry. Its surveys are meant to give a picture of working conditions across many countries rather than in one league, and they are often used as evidence when negotiating with governing bodies and competition organisers.

The BBC's report covers the main findings, but the full method, sample size and country breakdown of the survey are not set out in the material available here. This article therefore does not quote figures. It concentrates on the mechanisms behind the findings: how contracts, pay and employment protections work in women's football, and why commercial growth does not automatically improve them.

Why has this become news now?

The survey matters because of the gap it describes. Women's football has drawn more attention, larger broadcast deals and more sponsorship. When an industry's revenue grows, the people working in it reasonably expect their pay and security to improve too. Fifpro's findings suggest that, for a large share of players, this has not yet happened.

That tension gives the story weight beyond a single survey. Clubs, leagues and federations often point to rising revenue as proof that the women's game is maturing. A players' union presenting evidence that employment conditions are lagging behind makes the question of who benefits from that growth harder to ignore.

There is also a structural reason why the timing is significant. Commercial deals, competition formats and employment rules in football are usually negotiated in cycles. Evidence published as revenue rises can be used in the next round of talks on minimum standards, salary rules or player welfare. Exactly which negotiations Fifpro intends to influence with this survey is not stated in the reporting.

How do contracts in women's football usually work?

A professional footballer's contract is an employment agreement with a club. It sets wages, length, obligations and the terms under which either side can end it early. In established men's leagues, long contracts are common. They give players income security and give clubs an asset: a player under contract usually cannot leave without the club agreeing a fee.

In much of women's football, contracts tend to be shorter and the protections thinner. A short contract has two effects. The player has less certainty about future income, and is often renegotiating or looking for a new club every season or two. The club, in turn, has less to sell, because a player whose deal is about to expire can leave on a free transfer.

Where clubs hold little financial value in a player's contract, they have less reason to invest in that player's long-term development and welfare. Where players have little security, they have little leverage to push for better terms. That is the cycle Fifpro's concerns point to.

FIFA's transfer regulations set some global minimum protections, including rules relating to maternity, but how these work in practice depends heavily on national leagues and on whether players are formally recognised as professional employees. In some countries they are; in others, players combine football with other jobs or play under arrangements that fall short of full employment.

Who is affected, and in what ways?

The survey's findings, as the BBC describes them, apply most to players outside the best-funded clubs and leagues. A small group at the top of the game may benefit directly from rising revenue through higher salaries and commercial opportunities. A much larger group plays in leagues where club budgets are small and wages are low.

Insecure contracts affect more than pay. A player on a one-year deal may hesitate to report an injury, take a break for mental health or raise a complaint, because doing so could cost them the next contract. Psychological stress, which Fifpro identifies as rising, is the kind of outcome that tends to follow from long-term uncertainty about work and income.

Clubs are affected too. Squads built on short contracts change a great deal from season to season, which makes planning harder. Leagues trying to sell their competition to broadcasters and sponsors depend on stable, recognisable squads, so player insecurity can undermine the very commercial growth that revenue projections rely on.

Agents and intermediaries work in this environment as well. Frequent contract expiries mean frequent negotiations, but smaller sums leave less room for the fee arrangements common in the men's game.

Where do informed observers disagree?

The disagreements are mostly about pace and responsibility rather than about whether problems exist.

One view holds that revenue must come first. On this argument, many women's clubs still lose money, and imposing high minimum salaries or long compulsory contracts too early could push weaker clubs out of business and shrink the number of professional jobs.

The opposing view, broadly the one players' unions put forward, is that conditions have to be built into the game's structure while it grows. If minimum standards are not set early, the argument goes, revenue will flow to owners, competitions and a small elite, and the habits of an under-resourced sport will become permanent.

There is also debate about who should act. Some argue that global bodies should set binding minimums across countries. Others say national leagues and collective bargaining between clubs and players' associations are better suited to local economic conditions. Survey evidence such as Fifpro's is often used by both sides, which is why its method and scope matter.

What does this mean for transfers and squad building?

Contract length is the backbone of the transfer market. Fees exist because a club holds a player's registration under a contract that has time left to run. Where contracts are short, more moves happen as free transfers when deals expire, and fewer involve fees paid to the selling club.

That shapes squad building. Clubs that cannot rely on fee income from sales have less money to reinvest in recruitment. They may favour recruiting players whose contracts are expiring rather than paying for players under contract. Player turnover can be high, and building a squad becomes a yearly exercise rather than a long-term project.

Longer, better-protected contracts would change these dynamics. Players would gain security, but clubs would also gain assets with resale value, which could support a more developed fee market. That is one reason some observers argue that better employment standards and a healthier transfer market go together rather than pulling in opposite directions.

What should readers watch next?

The first thing to watch is the response from governing bodies, leagues and club associations to the survey. Whether they accept its findings, dispute its method or propose changes will show how much influence it has.

The second is minimum standards. Rules on minimum contract length, minimum wages, medical and psychological support, and maternity provision are the levers most directly tied to the concerns Fifpro raises.

The third is collective bargaining at national level, where players' associations negotiate directly with leagues. Agreements reached there often turn general concerns into enforceable contract terms.

Finally, the transfer market itself will show whether change is happening. A shift towards longer contracts and more fee-paid moves would suggest employment in women's football is becoming more stable.

Frequently asked questions

What is Fifpro?

Fifpro is the global federation of national players' associations, acting as a worldwide union for professional footballers. It represents players' collective interests in dealings with governing bodies, competition organisers and employers. It publishes research on working conditions, such as surveys on pay, contracts and wellbeing, and uses that evidence to argue for minimum standards. It covers both the men's and the women's game.

What did the Fifpro survey on women's football find?

BBC Sport reports that the survey shows women's football heading towards billion-dollar status as an industry, while many professional players still earn low wages, work on insecure contracts and report rising psychological stress. The full method, sample and country-by-country breakdown are not described in the available reporting, so the exact scale of each problem in particular leagues is not known from this source.

Why are contracts in women's football often short?

Many women's clubs have small budgets and uncertain income, so they are reluctant to commit to long-term salaries. In some countries players are not fully recognised as professional employees, which weakens their bargaining position. The result is that one- or two-year deals are common, and players often renegotiate or move clubs frequently. That limits their income security and gives clubs little resale value.

How do short contracts affect transfer fees?

A transfer fee is normally paid because the selling club holds a player's registration under a contract that still has time to run. When contracts are short, many players reach the end of their deals and move for free. This reduces fee income for clubs, limits money available for recruitment and means squads tend to change heavily between seasons.

Does rising revenue mean women footballers will earn more?

Not automatically. Revenue growth in a sport can go to competition organisers, owners, a small elite of players or club running costs before it reaches the wider playing workforce. Fifpro's survey, as reported by the BBC, suggests that for many players the growth has not yet turned into better pay or security. Minimum standards and collective bargaining usually decide how revenue is shared.

What protections exist for women footballers?

Some protections are set globally through FIFA's regulations on player status and transfers, including provisions relating to maternity. Others depend on national law, league rules and collective agreements negotiated by players' associations. The level of protection therefore varies widely between countries. Where players are formally employed under recognised professional contracts, they generally have stronger rights than where football is treated as semi-professional.

Sources and further reading

• BBC Sport: report on the Fifpro survey of working conditions in women's professional football.
• Fifpro: publications and research on player employment conditions, contracts and wellbeing.
• FIFA: Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, for the global framework on contracts and registrations.
• National players' associations: material on collective bargaining agreements and minimum standards in domestic leagues.