“The purpose of this Global Policy Compass is to give a player-centric overview of the protections, needs, obligations, institutions, and external factors that all influence how a player’s career develops in the football industry,” said Sarah Gregorius, FIFPRO’s Advisor Global Policy & Strategic Relations, and one of the main drivers behind the creation of this document.
The Compass covers all areas of a player’s career, from beginning to end, as it includes issues such as pay, contracts, justice, health and safety and personal development. The Compass will be revised regularly to best reflect the dynamic nature of the industry and players’ working environment.
“It will be your guide to the work FIFPRO has done to date and the work that is going on to further enhance player protections and opportunities,” Gregorius said. “This document raises awareness of the issues facing players in their work today, and helps build an understanding of the varied work that we, as player representatives and unions, are doing to improve footballers’ working conditions every day.”
The Policy Compass is available for all FIFPRO Member Unions via its Member Platform.
“I was really impressed with what I saw and I appreciate the amount of work that has been done”, said Stéphane Saint-Raymond, Director of Information and Digital of French player union UNFP, who attended one of the workshops.
“The Compass illustrates that FIFPRO is a modern and proactive organisation, with multiple skills and one primary mission: the defence of the rights and interests of footballers.”
Saint-Raymond has a vast experience with the UNFP and as a Director of Communications for FIFPRO Africa, a role in which he has seen how African player unions operate. “The Compass is a great tool for the members. This will help them develop, internally and externally. They can use it for their own organisation by adapting it to their reality on a national or even continental level. The problems might be the same in Cairo or Lima or Washington, but the solutions and the available means could be different. However they share a common ground and with the Policy Compass it will be easier for unions to find an answer.”
The Compass also reinforces the credibility and unity of FIFPRO, according to Saint-Raymond. “The players will feel this force. And it will be easier for them to fully understand and aim for the same objectives as FIFPRO.”
“What is good for FIFPRO and its members is good for the players.”
