PFA Annual General Meeting (AGM) Snapshot:  

  • Perth Glory’s Tash Rigby appointed to PFA Executive   
  • Kim Carroll, Michelle Heyman, Grace Gill, Travis Dodd, Matt Simon and Tommy Oar revealed as PFA Life Members  
  • Jackson Irvine, Tameka Yallop and Nikolai Topor-Stanley re-elected to Executive
  • PFA management detailed the organisation’s key achievements in the past 12 months, which feature in the  PFA’s Annual Report  released today 

Six Australian professional footballers received Life Membership with Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) today at the organisation’s Annual General Meeting. 

Kim Carroll, Michelle Heyman, Grace Gill, Travis Dodd, Matt Simon and Tommy Oar, who have all represented Australia at international level, were acknowledged for their outstanding service and exceptional support to the PFA with Life Membership. 

They join 43 other Life Members, including some of Australia’s most prestigious Socceroos and Matildas, and administrators. 

Carroll, who finished her duties on PFA Executive after six years of contribution to the union in August, has been replaced by Perth Glory’s A-League women’s defender Tash Rigby, who was appointed by her peers onto PFA’s 11-person Executive. 

Rigby will help elevate the voice of the players alongside Alex Wilkinson, Lydia Williams, Mat Ryan, Elise Kellond-Knight, Jackson Irvine, Nikolai Topor-Stanley, Tameka Yallop, Francis Awaratife, Kathryn Gill and Beau Busch. Following his retirement from professional football, Tommy Oar has completed his duties with the PFA Executive.

Commenting on her appointment Rigby said she was delighted to represent Australia’s professional players. 

“I am honoured to be joining the Executive,” Rigby said. “I have been acting as a PFA Delegate for a number of years and I look forward to further lending my voice to support the players and build the game for current and future players.” 

During the Annual General Meeting, the PFA’s Co-Chief Executives, Beau Busch and Kathryn Gill, congratulated Rigby and the six new life members and outlined the organisation’s key achievements across the past 12 months. 

“It’s wonderful to have Tash join the Executive. She has always been passionate about achieving better outcomes for her fellow players and in particular driving the growth and professionalism of the A-League Women’s competition,” Gill said. 

“Tommy, Kim, Matt, Michelle, Travis and Grace have all made an immeasurable contribution to the PFA and the professional game in Australia and this was the perfect opportunity, particularly with Tommy and Kim completing their duties on the Executive, to acknowledge this special group and their dedication to the game and the players.” 

“The achievements of the PFA during the 2021-2022 financial year were the product of a deep commitment to both the profession and the industry, a characteristic that has long defined PFA members, and the AGM provided a great platform to reflect on those accomplishments.” 

The PFA’s 2022 Annual Report includes the following highlights: 

  • Collective Bargaining: enhancing the 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  
  • Player Development: Through the player development program, 144 players undertook skill development workshops, 167 accessed Education Grants, 47 completed skin cancer checks, and 467 confidential counselling session were provided to members  
  • Player Charity Outreach through Footballers’ Trust: PFA and members committed $15,000 to charity initiatives during 2021/22  
  • Player Representation:  The PFA opened a record 167 new legal cases and recovered $1.6m in wages for its members, as well as forming a partnership with the Australian Professional Leagues to ensure the protection of A-League players from online abuse by developing a world-first partnership with GoBubble
  • Research and Insights: published two comprehensive reports on the A-League Men and Women’s competitions, facts book on the five-year A-Leagues Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and an external analysis of the re-introduction of a domestic transfer system in Australian football 
  • Organisation: strengthened the PFA’s independence and finances in the wake of COVID-19 to place the organisation in a sustainable position to invest in areas of strategic importance

 
Click here to access the 2022 PFA Annual Report
 

About Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) 

The PFA is the exclusive collective voice of Australia’s professional footballers. The PFA was established in 1993 with two key objectives: to support the players and build the game. 

As the exclusive representative body and collective bargaining agent of Australia’s elite professional footballers, including A-Leagues, Socceroos and Matildas players, the mission today remains the same. 

The PFA is the longest established stakeholder in the professional game in Australia with the key to its longevity being the voice of the players. Since its establishment the PFA has, and always will be, run by the players for the players. 

The PFA has delivered critical reforms that have enhanced the professional game in Australia and provided players with ‘world class’ collective bargaining agreements, player development and wellbeing programs, and legal representation and advice. 

About the PFA Executive Committee 
Through representative positions on the Executive Committee, professional Australian players help to advance and protect the interests, conditions and welfare of their fellow professionals and actively resolve issues on their behalf. 
 
The current PFA Executive Committee is: Francis Awaratife (Chair), Kathryn Gill (PFA Co-Chief Executive), Beau Busch (PFA Co-Chief Executive), Alex Wilkinson (President), Lydia Williams (Executive Member), Mat Ryan (Executive Member), Elise Kellond-Knight (Executive Member), Jackson Irvine (Executive Member), Nikolai Topor-Stanley (Executive Member), Tameka Yallop (Executive Member) and Tash Rigby (Executive Member).