The PFA wishes to thank all attendees of the PFA A-League Players’ Conference held in Sydney over the weekend for making the event a great success.

The conference was opened by PFA Life Member Craig Foster, who briefed the group on the PFA’s history, emphasising the many great players, past and present, who have contributed to the PFA and the many advances football has made due to their commitment and love of the game. Similarly, it is the responsibility of today’s players to advance football to benefit future generations.

PFA Executive Chairman, Brendan Schwab, lead a detailed discussion on the direction and process of the current PFA & FFA Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations. The key issues addressed included:

  1. The negotiation of a “Whole of Game CBA” that will cover the Socceroos, the A-League and Australia’s other National Teams;
  2. Financial Model/Revenue Sharing;
  3. Principles of Cooperation between FFA and PFA; and
  4. Player Career Path programs.

The players worked through the PFA’s detailed position paper for the negotiations, which identifies 12 key negotiation areas. The PFA’s position was approved by the PFA Executive, which had met on Friday evening by international teleconference.

Steve Milicevic, PFA Lawyer and Head of Player Relations, addressed the group on the PFA’s priorities and services and stressed the importance of seeking advice from the PFA on contractual or employment issues.

Guest speaker Glenn Warry presented the “My Football Career” and emphasised the importance of the program which has been embraced by FFA and the PFA. Currently, only 5% of footballers have engaged in professional development outside of football beyond year 12, a dangerous statistic considering the precarious and short term nature of a professional footballer’s career.

The conference was an excellent environment for players to share their experiences, interact with other players and staff while addressing the role, responsibilities and future direction of the PFA.

The PFA will visit the players of all A-League clubs during April.