Most Women Players Earn Less Than £15,000, Says Fifpro

Most women footballers are earning an “insufficient income” to have a secure career, says player union, Fifpro.

It surveyed 407 national team players from 41 countries and found that two-thirds of those earned less than 20,000 dollars per year (£14,922) and 25% had a job outside football.

It also revealed that one-third of players had a contract of less than one year and 22% had no contract at all.

“This is a repeat of the survey we conducted in 2022 across all confederations, and while some notable advancements have been made, the data indicates that further progress is needed,” said Dr Alex Culvin, Fifpro’s director of women’s football.

“The data is very clear – most players are earning insufficient income to ensure secure careers within the game.

“It is a risk to the sustainability of the game because players will be inclined to leave football early to make ends meet.”

Fifpro’s survey also includes data about player workload and travel conditions.

58% of players said rest before matches was not long enough and 57% said rest after a match was insufficient.

75% of players travelled in economy class with just 11% travelling in premium economy or business class. 77% of players travelled to a match by air and most did multiple times.

World governing body Fifa has said that accelerating the growth of the women’s game and developing professionalisation are among its key objectives.