FIFPRO Women's Football Summit convenes in Sydney, bringing global leaders together to shape future of women's game

The FIFPRO Women’s Football Summit brought together football unions, players, clubs, league representatives and leading figures from across the global football industry in Sydney, Australia, to help shape the future of the women’s game.

Held over two days on 15-16 March, the Women’s Football Summit convened football stakeholders at a pivotal moment for the women’s game as professional leagues, international tournaments and commercial investment continue to expand – and FIFPRO intensifies its push for a sustainable, equitable future for professional women’s football.

The summit explored key themes including professionalisation, innovation, commercialisation, collaboration, collective bargaining and structural reform, with a particular regional lens on Asia and Oceania.

Discussions built on FIFPRO’s ongoing advocacy around equal conditions, prize money, as well as regulations and maternity protections, ensuring the voices of women footballers remain central to decision‑making as the game evolves.

Across the two days, participants heard from a diverse range of speakers and panellists, including current and former players, union leaders, league executives, researchers and policy experts, including Ryoichi Takabayashi (Head of Women’s Football at Japan’s WE League) Melbourne Victory midfielder Grace Maher, Shoko Tsuji (FIFPRO Asia/Oceania Secretary General), Moya Dodd (Women's League Forum Secretary), and Steve Rosich (Australian Professional Leagues CEO).

Sessions across the two-day summit included discussions on how major tournaments accelerate progress, the role of collective bargaining in driving player‑led change, and the importance of safeguarding women players’ health, performance and working conditions. 

Dr Alex Culvin, FIFPRO’s Director of Women’s Football, said holding the summit outside of Europe for the first time was a strategic decision to align with the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, and to highlight the work undertaken by unions and FIFPRO Asia/Oceania in the region.
 
"It's the first time we've held the summit outside of Europe, and for us, it was important to celebrate the amazing work from Division Asia/Oceania in the build-up to, and the middle of, the Women's Asia Cup," Culvin said.

"It allowed us to bring together experts, stakeholders, and players to critically reflect on our industry, but also most importantly, to look forward to the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2027 and beyond, and what we want to achieve together."

Melbourne Victory midfielder and Professional Footballers Australia delegate Grace Maher joined a panel discussion on the first day of the Summit on ‘Influential Factors Accelerating Professional Women’s Football’, where she reflected on the progress of Australia’s women’s national team and the opportunity the Australian A-League presents.

"It's been exciting to be in a room full of a lot of the people who are making things work behind the scenes," Maher said. "It's been fantastic to hear from people who have been in the women's game for a long time, and we're all here on the same premise of trying to grow the game and advance it as best we can. I've enjoyed learning a lot and being able to share my perspective as a player."

Moya Dodd, the Secretary of the Women’s League Forum, welcomed the opportunity to contribute to the discussion around professionalising the women’s game.

"Progress in women's football has always depended on dialogue amongst the key actors in the game," Dodd said. "These conversations are the ones where real progress can be made.

"Leagues provide jobs to players, so if we want to expand that pool, we need leagues to thrive. Many of the challenges around the calendar, around player wellbeing, around fixture congestion, the challenges of raising revenue, they are challenges that are common and which we can form common approaches to how we solve them."

FIFPRO Women's Football Steering Council member and Executive Director of United States Women’s National Team Players Association, Becca Roux, said the summit focused on the opportunity of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.

"We work in a global industry and so it's rare we actually get to all come together," Roux said. "There was a big opportunity to do this in Sydney around the AFC Women's Asian Cup, in large part because we wanted to support what Division Asia/Oceania are doing in this region, but also because off the back of the 2023 Women's World Cup in New Zealand and Australia, it was a chance for us to reconvene to see the impact that has come out of that tournament and what other additional work still needs to be done."

In addition to high‑level dialogue, the summit provided targeted learning and leadership opportunities for union staff and advocates working in women’s football, organising and representation. Unions were represented from across Asia, Oceania, Africa, the Americas and Europe.
 
The Women’s Football Summit forms part of a broader program of FIFPRO and FIFPRO Asia/Oceania events being held in New South Wales throughout March, positioning Australia as a hub for global player advocacy and women’s football leadership.