COMMENT: FIFPRO Survey on the Impact of COVID-19 on Women's Football

equitysport welcomes the report by FIFPro outlining the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 on women's professional football around the world and implores football associations to take decisive and committed action to mitigate the growing risk to equality efforts.

Over 95% of the FIFPro membership took part in their global survey on the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on professional women's football, which can be read in full HERE.

The survey, which aims to capture the unfolding impacts of the pandemic on the women’s game, shows wage cuts, job losses and poor communication are affecting women footballers in dozens of countries, with recent gains towards gender equality in the sport potentially at risk.

Whilst equitysport fully acknowledges the unprecedented challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has inflicted on the world of sport, the FIFPro report demonstrates the wholly unacceptable disaggregated and unequal impact that the virus is having on football's highest performing participants along gender lines.

We call on international governing bodies and national football associations to take action to better safeguard their female players, tackle the threat of an exponential rise in gender inequality post-COVID and do more to enshrine equality as a high priority component of COVID-19 recovery policy.

It's important that these efforts are supported through regional cooperation and international collaboration; overseen, promoted and invested in by governments, the private sector, the media and football audiences the world over.

Tim Harper, Founder and Chief Executive at equitysport added:

“The report from FIFPro makes for a troubling read.

The fact that only 16% of female professional footballers are receiving mental health support, and just 34% are receiving treatment for physical injuries shows a worrying disregard for the health and safety of an entire demographic in the sport. This report does little to challenge the narrative that football remains an overtly male-dominated pursuit, where female participation, representation and empowerment runs periphery to the priorities of the sport in general.

It's high-time for the football associations set up and charged with protecting football and the interests of all its participants, male and female, to take the decisive action required to make the radical reforms that will bring gender parity to the sport through the good times and the bad."

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equitysport is a UK-registered charity (1189559) that exists to advance equality, diversity and equal opportunity in and through global sport. Through free-form development, education programmes and targeted advocacy the charity seeks an inclusive and equitable sporting ecosystem that lives up to the true values of sport.

Notes to Editors

For interviews or further comment, please contact the team via: hello@equitysport.org