2025 Serie A Collective Bargaining Agreement - Key Changes & Innovations Explained

Two years after the publication of the previous version, a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (New CBA) was entered into between the Associazione Italiana Calciatori (AIC or the Italian Footballers’ Association), the Lega Nazionale Professionisti Serie A (LNPA or Lega Serie A), and the Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio (FIGC or the Italian Football Federation) to address the evolving needs of professional football^[1].

The New CBA builds upon a series of reforms that reshaped the Italian sports legal landscape, starting with the entry of the so-called “Sports Reform” (Legislative Decree No. 36/2021) on 1 July 2023.^[2] This introduced for the first time the definition of ‘sports worker’ as well as apprenticeships agreements in sports. Moreover, the New CBA, dated 31 July 2025, also followed the enactment of the so-called “Sports Decree” (Decree Law No. 96/2025) on 30 June 2025,^[3] which extended the maximum duration of sports workers’ contracts from five to eight seasons.

The New CBA is the result of negotiations between the three parties. Aimed at setting the terms and conditions of employment for professional football players, the New CBA has redefined the relationship between Serie A clubs and players, introducing several new provisions that reflect the evolving needs of the industry.

The article discusses:

• Regulatory & economic updates to the professional apprenticeship contract
• Image rights under the New CBA
  • Advertising Convention
  • Current rights and obligations
• Additional agreements between clubs and the players: the so-called “Altre Scritture”
• Salary structure and reductions
• Disciplinary sanctions and fines
• Obligations concerning education for football players
• Insurance thresholds and health coverage
• The “comporto” period (protected period) and contract termination
• Weekly rest periods
• End-of-career benefits
• Final remarks