- The World Players' Association hosted the first global Player Health and Safety Summit in Spain
- Experts from around the world discussed risks to athlete well-being and union actions to better protect player health
- Event featured presentations on holistic workload and schedules, mental health, and strategic litigation to enforce tailored occupational safety and health (OSH) standards
The World Players' Association (WPA) organised last week the first global Player Health and Safety Summit. The event was held at the Tecno Campus in Mataro, Spain, between 29-30 January.
The WPA is the leading voice of organised players in the governance of world sport, uniting 85,000 professional athletes through more than 100 player associations in over 60 countries.
The summit brought together experts from around the world to discuss issues that pose a growing danger to the health and well-being of athletes, including mental health, pressures from increased workloads, gruelling schedules and inadequate recovery time.
Speaking for FIFPRO at the event were Alexander Bielefeld (Director of Global Policy and Strategic Relations for Men's Football), Dr Alex Culvin (Director of Global Policy and Strategic Relations for Women's Football), Prof Dr Vincent Gouttebarge (Medical Director) and Michael Leahy (Manager of Strategy and Intelligence for Men's Football and Player IQ).
During the first day, which was attended by Dr Culvin and Prof Dr Gouttebarge, holistic approaches to player wellbeing were in focus, such as how to find real solutions to improve the health and safety of athletes in all sports. It highlighted how workload is not only physical but also psychological.
Dr Culvin also referred to FIFPRO's Project ACL and illustrated the lack of female-specific research, which hinders informed decision-making on best practices for women’s players.
