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Sarah Gregorius to step down from FIFPRO women's football position after five years

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  • Sarah Gregorius is leaving her position as FIFPRO’s Director of Global Policy & Strategic Relations for Women’s Football
  • She helped secure for players a guaranteed share of Women’s World Cup prize money and the first international maternity rules 
  • FIFPRO has committed to expanding its women’s football department to keep pushing for better player conditions

Sarah Gregorius will step down as Director of Global Policy & Strategic Relations for Women’s Football after this month, ending five successful years at FIFPRO.

Gregorius, a former player with 100 international matches for New Zealand, including appearances in three Women’s World Cups and two Olympic Games, was instrumental in driving significant progress for the working conditions for players in both their clubs and national teams.

During her tenure, FIFPRO secured equal conditions and a guaranteed minimum of 30 percent of prize money for players from the 2023 Women’s World Cup, produced player-centric reports on conditions, employment and workload, and successfully lobbied for the first maternity and pregnancy standards in international football regulations from 2021.

"The last five years have been such an incredible journey, helping to lead and increase FIFPRO’s efforts on behalf of women’s footballers and their unions around the world," Gregorius said.

"I’ve loved the privilege and responsibility to represent the players in the international governance environment, and I have witnessed first-hand the power of the collective in driving meaningful change. I look forward to seeing further successes of FIFPRO thanks to the drive and activism of players, their unions, and the FIFPRO administration."

Before joining FIFPRO, Gregorius was part of efforts to achieve the first gender-equal collective agreement for men’s and women’s football on behalf of the New Zealand Professional Footballers’ Association.

Stephane Burchkalter, FIFPRO Interim Secretary General, said: "We will miss Sarah’s very strong leadership and organising skills, as well as her passion for helping players wherever they are in the world. However, we are confident that she will remain a close ally of FIFPRO in her new role.

"Our women’s football work at FIFPRO is in the process of expansion, and we will be hiring more dedicated staff to follow Sarah’s lead and help us improve the position of players across all parts of the game, ensuring the sustainable growth of women’s football."