FIFPRO is today launching the ‘Shaping Our Future’ report about men’s professional football that examines global revenue streams and the working conditions of players, with a view to achieving a more stable and robust game.

FIFPRO is today launching Raising Our Game, a forward-thinking report about women’s professional football which puts players at the heart of the planned development and rebuilding of the sport after the coronavirus pandemic. The report, compiled with KPMG Football Benchmark, charts the economic evolution of the game, covering match-day attendance, TV audiences and sponsorship, and details player conditions at club and national team level.

Iva Landeka has been captain of the Croatian women’s national team for 12 years. During her career she has won several awards including best athlete of the Croatian diaspora. She has played in Austria, Poland, Sweden and France, where currently plays for Montpellier HSC in the French Division 1 league.

Kelly Lindsey is overseeing development of women’s football in Morocco. As national team coach and director of women's football, she has shaped a four-year plan under which the national federation will fund the wages of players and coaching staff at 44 clubs. FIFPRO spoke to Lindsey, and Moroccan player union general secretary Mohamed Harouane, about the plans.

Ashleigh Shim fulfilled a childhood dream when she went with the Jamaican national team to the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, but the journey to France was fraught with complications reflecting the substandard conditions many women’s footballers face.

Goal number 2 of the 2021 FIFPRO Shaping our Future report – sustainable growth – aims to continue to create an ever-growing economic and social impact through the game that is enjoyed by so many around the globe.

Systemic trends in football, accelerated by Covid-19, create both opportunity and uncertainty for the working lives of players. They highlight the need for more quality jobs across markets and competition innovation, resulting in FIFPRO’s commitment to “Shaping our Future” goal number 3: Jobs & Innovation.

FIFPRO’s 2021 Shaping our Future describes a player centric agenda, consisting of four goals that will ensure a sustainable future for football. Goal number one: industry stability.

The fourth and final goal of “Shaping our Future” – player voice & activism – aims to integrate players in decisions affecting their own work, the game and their communities.

Jacob Mulenga is among dozens of players who have come up against a wall in their efforts to get paid in Chinese football.

FIFPRO is saddened to share the news that Rob Buijs, our financial director and friend for more than 17 years, has passed away. He succumbed to cancer on Sunday, aged 69.