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Player Workload

Workload imbalance is detrimental to players

FIFPRO is extremely aware of the effects the football calendar can have on player wellbeing. The concepts of match overload and underload are related to the imbalance between the load induced on players (such as competition and international travel) and their recovery time. Both an overload and underload of matches can be detrimental to a player's overall health and career prospects and are likely to lead to injuries and an impact on performance.

Player Workload Monitoring Tool

What you should know

An unbalanced match calendar puts players' health and career at risk

An unbalanced calendar puts the health and career prospects of players at risk. It can threaten to diminish peak sporting performance and, consequently, the quality of competitions. This is an increasing issue in men’s and women's football and FIFPRO is committed to monitoring workload through the PWM platform.

Players' earning potential is being unfairly impacted

The career of a footballer is relatively short, and imbalances in the match calendar can impact players to the point of being unable to achieve their full potential. FIFPRO extensively researches this issue to provide a framework for best practice, in order to protect players and advocate for a balanced match calendar that takes into consideration the impact of overall workload, rest and recovery periods and international travel on players.

Players must come first

Current match calendar management shows little regard for players' overall wellbeing and requires urgent reconsideration, with regular revisions by competition organisers to ensure that player health, performance and career are the centre of decision-making.

FIFA World Cup 2022: Post-Tournament Review and Player Survey

This latest report combines key data about teams and players with a survey of 64 footballers who played at the FIFA World Cup 2022 to gauge their reaction to the unprecedented mental and physical demands of the current season.

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Player Workload Player story

Olivia Chance: "Conditions that ensure best performance for men’s players need to be applied to the women’s game"

According to FIFPRO’s Player Workload Monitoring tool, Celtic and New Zealand midfielder Olivia Chance has travelled further than any other player to represent her club and country between August 2022 and April 2023, tallying more than 145,000 kilometres across 12 trips.

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2022 Player and High Performance Coach Surveys

This edition of the FIFPRO Player Workload Monitoring flash report focuses on the findings of two recent surveys: the FIFPRO Global Player Survey and the FIFPRO High-Performance Coach Survey.

PWM Flash Report 2022 COVER