As we reflect on the previous 12 months, it is evident that there has been little opportunity for rest for Australian football.

Desperate to move beyond the COVID-19 posed challenges of the previous season, the professional game approached the 2021/22 Season with expectation and optimism.

Instead, it had to withstand a continued battering from elements largely beyond its control.

The sacrifices from our Wellington Phoenix, Perth Glory and National Team members have been well documented and rightly celebrated. Still, importantly they reflect our game's most precious commodity – courage. This is the value that defines all great players, teams, and organisations.

This report illustrates the impact of this courage on Australian football.

The Socceroos’ qualification for the FIFA Men's World Cup provided an exclamation mark to a 12-month period where despite the odds, the players continued to make sacrifices to move the industry forward.

And there were countless remarkable achievements, including:

• an enhanced A-League Women's Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), with players having a direct voice in the competition leading to an expanded session, followed by a full home and away season for 2023/24;
• the recovery of $1.6m in outstanding salaries and wages for PFA members;
• the establishment of the Players' Journey learning management system to enhance the development and support of members;
• the publication of three comprehensive industry reports;
• record numbers of players accessing the PFA’s Mental Health Referral network;
• over 160 players undertaking professional development through PFA education grants;
• strengthening the PFA's independence and finance in the wake of COVID-19 to place the organisation in a sustainable position to invest in areas of strategic importance; and
• partnering with the Australian Professional Leagues to ensure the protection of A-League players from online abuse by developing a world-first partnership with GoBubble.

These impressive achievements were the product of a deep commitment to both the profession and the industry, a characteristic that has long defined PFA members.

Despite ironic pleas from FIFA President Gianni Infantino to “keep politics out of football” and inspired by the impact of previous generations of PFA members, this generation also sought to positively impact Australia and the world. In the past 12 months, PFA members have:

• supported indigenous rights, with the Matildas’ bold stance at the Tokyo Olympics and the PFA's endorsement of the Uluru Statement from the Heart;
• engaged deeply with human rights experts and migrant workers themselves to develop a deep understanding of the human rights situation in Qatar ahead of the FIFA Men’s World Cup;
• investing into community and social impact in relation to Blind Football, access to the sport for Indigenous players, LGBTI+ rights through the Footballers' Trust; and
• under the guidance of former Chair and current World Players Association Executive Director Brendan Schwab, the PFA committed to developing its own Human Rights Strategy and Framework.

These are matters that speak to the PFA's core values of respect, courage, trust, world-class and intelligence.

As we now look toward the future and embrace the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, we are motivated by the driving purpose of putting people first. Our mission to support our people is inseparable from our duty to help shape our game.

As always, there remains much to be done. With this in mind, the priorities for the PFA over the next 12 months will include:

• embedding a human rights framework within the PFA – and lead this initiative across our sport – to ensure we have the capacity to safeguard the fundamental rights of our members at an increasingly complex and dynamic time;
• continuing to ensure the Australian Professional Leagues and Football Australia work in the best interest of the game and that the CBA is respected and the players receive what they rightfully bargained;
• ensuring we do everything possible to ensure that our member's workplace is safe from harassment, abuse and bullying;
• deliver the Footballers' Trust as the most impactful charitable vehicle in football by investing in social initiatives that resonate with the members; and
• tackling areas that sit outside of the CBA but impact the members significantly, such as reforming the AFC Asian Champions League competition and lobbying FIFA for equality in prize money, regulations, and conditions for the senior World Cups.

We acknowledge the enormity of these challenges. Equally, we recognise that nothing worth doing is easy. We all have a responsibility to not only improve the livelihood of our members within their profession but to make sure that football is a genuine force for good, one that can positively shape our community and society.

Finally, we would like to acknowledge the wonderful contribution of our Executive Members who are stepping down, Kim Carrol and Tommy Oar. Tommy and Kim's contributions have been recognised as PFA Life Membership alongside Grace Gill, Tommy Oar, Travis Dodd, Matt Simon and Michelle Heyman. On behalf of all our members, it is an honour to acknowledge their service to the players and the game.

We thank you once again for your ongoing commitment to the game and each other.