Professional Footballers Australia moves to tackle abuse and harassment of players

With the FIFA Women’s World Cup set to kick off next week, Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) has announced that it is taking steps to “proactively prevent abuse, bullying and harassment” with the launch of a first-of-its-kind Safe Football Project.

In response to incidents of systemic failures to protect female players in Australia and internationally, including the uncovering of abusive coaches within the NWSL in the US and sexual abuses suffered by players in Afghanistan and Haiti, the players’ union will introduce a range of education and safeguarding measures, and try to enhance reporting mechanisms available to players.

The launch of the initiative, set to commence early next year, follows a 2022 research project undertaken by the PFA in which female players were asked about their experiences in football. Its goal was to explore how to prevent abuse, rather than responding to incidents as is common worldwide.

The study, designed by human rights lawyer Kat Craig, who has significant experience in dealing with cases of sexual abuse, harassment and trauma, found that more than one in four players (26.8%) said they had experienced abuse or harassment in football.

Kate Gill, the PFA’s co-Chief Executive, explained “it was critical that with the players we did the work to deeply understand the environments in which our members are working.

“This is a complex problem, and as such, we did not immediately have all the answers, but through global experts, such as Kat, and the commitment of the players, we have been able to enhance the capacity and expertise of PFA to both respond and proactively prevent abuse, bullying and harassment.”

The hope is that Football Australia, clubs and leagues will get on board and support the plans to tackle the causes of abuse and harassment at their root. All PFA staff have undergone the Ready to Respond training of the World Players Association and the organisation has enhanced the expertise capacity of its mental health referral network.

PFA co-Chief Executive, Beau Busch added “we have countless examples of where abuse, bullying and harassment in sport have devastated the lives of athletes. Whilst the responsibility of ensuring a safe workplace lies with the employers, a comprehensive whole of industry approach is required.

“The objective of the work we have undertaken to date, and that which will follow, is to better equip the PFA to meet its mission of supporting the players and building the game whilst influencing the environment in which players work. Through this project, we aim to create real change and move sport beyond seeking to protect its own interests and reputation to focus on those most impacted by failures - the players and survivors.

“To do this, we will need to work effectively with the clubs, leagues and the FA, and we are confident that that will be the case, and we have kept them informed of our progress.”

Craig noted “if we want to make football a safe place for players, we must first understand their experiences of how existing systems have failed them, and then weave their voice into new and improved processes and cultures. This groundbreaking project does just that: it centralises the players at every step, from mapping the complex and often painful reporting journey, to working with players to co-create solutions.

“The PFA is setting a new and exciting standard for how this work should be undertaken, and one I hope will be emulated globally by all of football’s key stakeholders so players can thrive on and off the pitch.”