Portugal Training 3

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.

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.

2022/23 Men's Workload Report: Extreme Calendar Congestion

Overlapping competition schedules and elevated individual workload demands are highlighted in a new FIFPRO report that warns of the impact on the health of professional players.

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PWM 2023 Men's Report Cover

2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Workload Journey Report

The report underlines how the domestic and international calendars in the women’s game remain uneven and fragmented, leaving many players in the countries where football is less developed forced to move abroad to improve, or face the prospect of not having enough matches to reach their potential.

Press release Download report
Women's PWM Report WWC 2023