- Power to the Players is a comprehensive vision for the transformation of football in Asia/Oceania
- Aims to channel unprecedented interest in the region, as demonstrated by 2023 Women’s World Cup, by positioning players at the heart of the sport
- Framework has five key objectives: player organising, member unions, bargaining, diversity, and innovation, data and alliances
FIFPRO Asia/Oceania has launched a new strategic framework for the division: Power to the Players, a comprehensive vision for the transformation of the football industry in the region.
The framework aims to channel the unprecedented interest in the sport in Asia/Oceania, as demonstrated by the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, by positioning players at the heart of the sport.
Launched at the division’s bi-annual congress in Auckland, the framework sets forward a path to build on the outstanding efforts of generations of players and member unions by elevating the players’ voice to achieve positive impact.
Designed to play a leading role in supporting FIFPRO’s global reform agenda, the framework has five key objectives:
- Player Organising and Mobilising: building and embedding a strong culture of organising across the region;
- Member Unions: enhancing all member unions throughout the region;
- Bargaining and Leverage: Building effective relationships with strategic partners such as the Asian Football Confederation (AFC);
- Diversity: Promoting the diversity of FIFPRO Asia/Oceania’s members while pursuing a workplace for players that is free from all forms of discrimination and risks to players’ human rights;
- Innovation, Data and Alliances: Commitment to proactively shaping the future of Asian and Oceanian football through evidence-based research, analysis and partnerships.
FIFPRO Asia/Oceania Chairman Takuya Yamazaki said: "The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup has shone a spotlight on the immense talent and potential within Asia and Oceania, whilst also exposing the enormous challenges faced by players. Now, more than ever, it is imperative that we ensure our players are given the support and representation they deserve.
"A legacy of this transformational Women’s World Cup will be stronger representation for all footballers. We plan over the next three years to build stronger unions, enhance player organising and effective relationships to deliver better outcomes for players and the game."
Anna Green, NZPFA's representative on FIFPRO's Asia/Oceania Division board, an-82 time New Zealand international and Sydney FC defender, said: "The interests of the players and the game are inherently linked. Our mission is to enhance all of our unions across Oceania and Asia and ensure that the players’ rights are protected and respected.
"This is the starting point for the players having greater impact and transforming football across the region into a workplace that deeply respects and protects the rights of players."
Download the framework HERE.
Jorge Taufua of Bradford Bulls has been suspended for six matches and fined £375 after being found guilty of a Grade E charge of contrary behaviour in the Betfred Championship match against Barrow Raiders.
Taufua had been charged with a Grade F offence by the Match Review Panel, with the Operational Rules Tribunal delayed for logistical reasons.
The Tribunal found him guilty, but of a Grade E rather than Grade F offence.
- Launched in 2019, Drake Football Study is a 10-year project tracking the physical and mental health of footballers
- Over 170 men’s and women’s players were included in the study, beginning during their playing careers and transitioning through to retirement
- Dr Lervasen Pillay, one of the PhD candidates working on the study, talks to FIFPRO about the first published data connected to knee and hip osteoarthritis in men’s players
The first data results from the 10-year Drake Football Study have now been published. Launched in 2019, the Drake Football Study is tracking the physical and mental health of around 170 men’s and women’s footballers – beginning during their playing careers and transitioning through to retirement.
The project’s first findings, based on studies on men’s professional footballers, showed a low prevalence of knee and hip osteoarthritis (degeneration of joint cartilage); that pain is a valid symptom to suggest osteoarthritis presence; and that the chances of developing knee osteoarthritis increased with the number of injuries by 1.5 times and just over four times more with surgeries.
"This is good news for footballers as further research now can be done on developing management guidelines and determining if any other risk factors for osteoarthritis exist in this population," said Dr Lervasen Pillay, who has been practicing in the field of sports medicine for 19 years and has been involved in the Drake Football Study since October 2021.
Most previous research in knee and hip osteoarthritis has been conducted on retired athletes using only X-rays, whereas these latest findings have been determined using validated questionnaires and clinical examinations on active players.
"New information is always helpful to stimulate further research," said Dr Pillay. "It gives us a better understanding of the association of osteoarthritis with risk factors (like injury and surgery), pain and function in the active professional footballer.
"In the real-world setting, this translates into providing clinicians with more information to allow for improved management of their athlete’s condition – in this case osteoarthritis."
Learning from the players
The former Chief Medical Officer of the South African Premier Soccer League, Dr Pillay’s involvement in the Drake Football Study stems from his combined PhD with the University of Pretoria and University of Amsterdam.
While the 10-year study is giving priority to joint pain in ankles, hips and knees of players, and how it can potentially impact the wellbeing of players in the long-term, it also aims to explore mental health symptoms such as anxiety and depression which are often reported by players.
"Part of this study is to identify whether there is an association between mental health symptoms and severe injuries and surgeries," said Dr Pillay, who has been monitoring the analysis of men’s players during the study.
"The mental health component of professional male footballers has always been neglected. Through the study, we will be able to collect data on the prevalence and incidence of mental health symptoms and learn if there are associations with risk factors of players developing mental health symptoms."
Coordinated by FIFPRO, the Drake Football Study is seed-funded by The Drake Foundation and supported by Amsterdam University Medical Centres, Mehiläinen (Finland) and Push Sports (The Netherlands).
FIFPRO Chief Medical Officer Prof Dr Vincent Gouttebarge is the project lead together with Prof Dr Gino Kerkhoffs, chair of the Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine department at the Amsterdam University Medical Centres.
As well as the length of the research and its focus on active players during their careers and transitioning through to retirement, what also sets the study apart is learning directly from the players.
"We are exploring data received from players themselves – the athletes voice is vital," said Dr Pillay. "The study also involves cohorts which aren’t European based, which helps give a global perspective.
"Since all the sub-studies are investigating the active professional footballers, it provides an opportunity for developing better identification and management guidelines of certain conditions.
"Studies looking at neurocognitive function and ankle cartilage may provide new information that has not been described in this population before, and thus begin a new research interest angle. I am excited about the entire project and its potential impact over the next 10 years."
