The PFA has delivered a range of important services, initiatives, events and educational workshops for players and staff in recent weeks. In our endeavour to support the players, these initiatives are critical to ensuring our members are equipped to navigate their careers as professional footballers and that our staff are adequately engaged and trained in areas important to the sport and our athletes.

🎙️ Player Media Training

The PFA recently formed a partnership with Tactical Switch Consulting, with founder and Fox Sports Australia’s football reporter James Dodd delivering four workshops over the past two weeks to A-League and W-League players. The workshop was designed to assist players who are transitioning into first team football and elite, professional environments. The sessions, delivered via Zoom, were attended by over 50 players and are part of the PFA’s Player Development Program.  

The workshops are designed to assist players with their transition into the new environment of professional football, equip players with an understanding of the role of the media in professional sport and provide practical interview techniques and covered the role of the media, what the media is seeking from athletes, interview techniques, personal presentation and the advantages and disadvantages of social media.

🏟️ Past Players Program – Match Day Events

Earlier this month, the PFA held two Past Player Program match day events; one at Adelaide United’s match against Wellington Phoenix at Coopers Stadium and at Bankwest Stadium for the A-League match between Western Sydney Wanderers and Western United. The events brought together players from the A-League, W-League and National Soccer League, with players such as Alex Tobin, Chad Gibson, Pablo Cardozo, Jake Timpano and Pablo Cardozo gathering in Sydney and Rachael Quigley, Marijana Rajcic, Matt Kemp, Marcelo Carrusca and Adriano Pellegrino meeting up in Adelaide.

The PFA also delivered skin cancer checks for Perth Glory past players, including a number of current coaching staff, through partner Spot Screen. The PFA and Glory will be hosting a Past Players Program event at this Sunday’s match against Macarthur at HBF Park.

⚽ Players and PFA staff attend Australian Blind Football ‘National Para Fives Series’ in Melbourne

Western United’s Sebastian Pasquali and Melbourne Victory’s Melina Ayres attended an Australian Blind Football Event, alongside PFA Co-Chief Executive Beau Busch, and Player Development Program Manager Rita Mankowska last Sunday. The PFA has contributed funding to Australian Blind Football via the Footballers’ Trust to ensure their programs can be financed moving forward.

“It was fantastic to see the players come together and have the opportunity to play for the first time in so long, and to see that sense of community and belonging and enjoyment among the players and the organisers,” PFA Co-Chief Executive Busch said on Sunday at the event, held at Essendon Football Club’s ‘Hangar’.

“We’re really happy that through the players and Footballers’ Trust we can make a material contribution to Australian Blind Football and that the participants can benefit directly from that. Our PFA members, including Seb and Melina, are so passionate about supporting the participants as well as a range of other causes through the Trust.”

🧠 FIFPRO Health and Wellbeing Workshop

The PFA’s Player Development Managers recently participated in a two-hour interactive workshop on developing mental health toolkits through the organisation’s global partner, FIFPRO. The workshop was designed to raise further awareness of the mental health challenges within football, especially mental health problems experienced by players and preparing PDMs with adequate skills to manage players suffering from mental health issues.

The PFA’s Player Development Managers and staff also recently attended a range of webinars and presentations delivered during the the World Players’ Development Conference 2021, which was held exclusively online. Hosted by the World Players Association (WPA) and the NBPA (National Basketball Players Association) the conference delivered a range of speakers and insights from high-performance sport spanning the globe. The Conference centred on the themes of COVID-19, Connection and Care, allowing PFA staff to equip themselves with world-leading knowledge and skills to help support players.