Professional Footballers Australia (the PFA) has today released its 2026 Player Development Program (PDP) Insights and Impact Report.  
 
Covering education support, coaching courses, and mental health support provided to A-Leagues and Australia’s national team players during 2025/26 football season, the Report illustrates the continued impact of the PDP on the lives of Australia’s professional footballers on and off the pitch. 

Funded by the A-Leagues and National Teams Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA), the PDP allows players to access a range of services that support their personal wellbeing and football career. 

In addition to ongoing support services in the areas of career, wellbeing and retirement, the PFA delivered new content to A-League players last season, including Respect X, a leading Australian reporting and case management platform, to enhance workplace safety and wellbeing.  

During the 2025-26 season the PFA also ran new wellbeing workshops for all A-Leagues players and the Matildas and Socceroos, focused on the unique stresses of high-performance sport, wellbeing practices and available support. 

Respectful Relationships Education was delivered in partnership with Teach Us Consent, and skin cancer checks for all national team and A-Leagues players were provided. 

Read the full Player Development Program Insights and Impact Report here

The highlights of the annual report include: 

  • 992 confidential counselling sessions fully funded for players; 
  • 153 education grants; 
  • 114 players highlight packages produced for players; 
  • The PFA Past Player Program membership grew to 522 and seven past player events were held; 
  • 532 skin cancer checks for national team and A-Leagues players through the PFA’s partnership with Molemap; 
  • 102 first-year players provided with a comprehensive workplace induction;  
  • 48 players gained B and C coaching qualifications through PFA courses; 
  • All A-Leagues players undertook Respectful Relationships education hosted by Teach Us Consent; and 
  • 98% of players surveyed said they were either slightly or extremely satisfied with the PDP. 

The Report also illustrated some of the key wellbeing and career challenges A-League Women players are continuing to face across the league, including: 

  • 62% of players feel not at all satisfied or slightly satisfied with their current balance between football/work/study life; 
  • 58% of players feel not at all prepared or slightly prepared for life after football; 
  • 57% of players are not at all or slightly confident about the direction of their football career; 
  • 20% of A-League Women players described their financial situation as ‘not at all secure’. 

Meanwhile, survey data from A-League Men players reported: 

  • 64% of players feeling only slightly prepared or not at all prepared for life after football; 
  • 69% of players feel satisfied with current balance between football/work/study/life; 
  • 67% of players described their financial situation as slightly secure or not at all secure; 
  • 78% of players are slightly confident or very confident about the direction of/their control over their football career. 

“This report demonstrates that our members are people first and athletes second and it is of critical importance that Australian football prioritises the continued development of the Player Development Program,” PFA Chief Executive Beau Busch said. 

“Through collective bargaining we have built strong support programs for players; the next challenge is to embed player development culturally into the operations of all clubs and national teams.”