Player union voices join UEFA Women in Football Leadership Programme

• Emma Immonen (FPA Finland) and Fern Whelan (PFA England) joined 36 women from across Europe on the 2026 UEFA Women in Football Leadership Programme
• Both attended on scholarships from FIFPRO Europe and FIFPRO, awarded under the EU Sectoral Social Dialogue to create space for women's leadership and networks across football
• FIFPRO Europe General Secretary Joachim Walltin explains why gender diversity in football leadership strengthens the football ecosystem, including player unions and our work to support players

Emma Immonen spends her weekends captaining Pallokerho Keski-Uusimaa in Finland’s second tier. During the week, she is a project manager and the main contact for women’s football at FPA Finland. Fern Whelan played for Everton, Notts County and Brighton & Hove Albion before moving into her role as Women’s Football EDI Executive at the PFA.

Both know the game from the inside. This year, they took that experience into the UEFA Women in Football Leadership Programme, joining 36 women from federations, clubs, leagues and unions across Europe for a week of leadership development.

"It felt like a safe space where it was possible to share our experiences, even with people we did not know at all," said Immonen.

Representation

Women remain a small minority among football’s decision-makers. For those in leadership roles, that often means working without peers, mentors or a visible path upwards.

Since 2023, FIFPRO Europe and its partners in the EU Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for Professional Football, EFC and European Leagues, chaired by UEFA, have collaborated to improve gender representation across their respective networks.

"Women in leadership roles are often the only woman in the room, carrying the weight of representing a wider community in an industry where closed networks and male-dominated spaces still shape whose voice is heard and valued," said FIFPRO’s Head of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Erica Puppo. 

"Annual initiatives like the Women in Football Leadership Programme give women access, connections and spaces that football doesn't consistently provide, and help make leadership less isolating."

The programme, organised by UEFA Academy and now in its 12th year, opened with a session for the full group before participants split into small groups of six for the rest of the week. Through peer exchange, trust-building exercises and open feedback, they worked on the skills that shape leaders regardless of gender, age or background. 

Trusting your expertise 

Participants found a common thread: they had the expertise, but they did not always voice it.

Immonen knows that speaking up in male-dominated meetings can be challenging, and at times she needed to trust herself to do it. “The programme gives you tips and tools on how to exercise your leadership in your day-to-day life,” she said.

For Whelan, the connection within her group came quickly, despite very different personalities and backgrounds. “It was a life-changing experience; I don't feel I am the same person after this week,” she said.

Whelan came away with a sharper sense of the role feedback plays in management. “It is not only about positive feedback; it can also be negative, and you have to learn to accept it and learn from it.”

A commitment built to last

The scholarships are part of a workstream on diversity, equity and inclusion within the EU Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for Professional Football. Each year, FIFPRO Europe holds two places on the programme. These are funded by scholarships from FIFPRO Europe and FIFPRO, with support from the participants’ unions.

For Immonen and Whelan, the week did more than benefit them as individuals. They return to their unions with a wider network and new tools to support members. Immonen and Whelan follow previous scholarship holders Ilaria Pasqui (AIC, Italy), Cathrine Hoegh Dekkerhus (NISO, Norway), Ann-Sophie Duyck (UA, Belgium) and Elise Legrout (UNFP, France).

“Our unions are stronger and more credible with players when the people shaping our priorities reflect the full range of their experiences," said FIFPRO Europe General Secretary Joachim Walltin. "But we know this is only part of the solution: progress also depends on all of us in football, and on those with decision-making power in particular, to open doors and be active participants.

Next steps in the EU Sectoral Social Dialogue

FIFPRO Europe and social partners are currently planning the next phase of their collaboration, including an in-person event in 2027 to ensure increased exchange for women, active participation of decision-makers, and space to co-create future opportunities.

“We trust this collaboration under the EU Sectoral Social Dialogue will continue to strengthen our work and our unions,” said Walltin.