FIFPro calls for breaks in women's calendar

FIFPro is calling for mandatory four-week off-season breaks and two-week in-season breaks to safeguard players from the risks of overload following a new study into the fragmented football calendar, as some players are participating in nearly double the average number of matches.

The players union's new study, entitled "From High-Usage to Underload: A Tale of Two Industries," examined how playing opportunities are not distributed equally within women's football, resulting in FIFPRO calling for breaks as well as new competitions and league expansions to ensure more playing opportunities for under-utilised players to try and find a better balance.

Among the 300-player sample, the average number of matches per player was 33, equating to less than one game per week. However, some players far exceeded this average, such as Mariona Caldentey, who played 64 matches last season for Barcelona and Spain -- more than any other player in the study.

Top players often make over 60 appearances and log more than 5,000 minutes in a single season. This demanding workload extends beyond their time on the pitch, as many players travel extensively across the globe. The tight schedules leave little room for rest between club and national team commitments, intensifying the strain on players, resulting in FIFPRO's calls for minimum standards for travel, preparation and recovery.

"There is a two-speed development of women's football," Dr. Alex Culvin, FIFPro's director of policy and strategic relations for women's football, said.

"There are players who are squeezed by the calendar and the high cadence of games; this is an issue that is rightly gaining more attention. Yet there are a larger proportion of players who do not have enough competitive matches and are often overlooked.

"Putting players at the centre of any, and all, dialogue on the calendar and the regularity of games is key to finding solutions. It is important that all stakeholders recognise the depth and diversity of the issues and work together to create a more balanced calendar that, whilst continuing to accelerate growth, also creates more competitive opportunities and provides guaranteed rest periods."

Portland Thorns and United States regular Sophia Smith could potentially play 60 games -- nearly twice as many matches -- in the 2027 season as an NWSL player limited to domestic competitions.

This disparity becomes most pronounced during peak seasons, when Smith participates in major tournaments such as the Paris Olympics in 2024, the FIFA Women's Club World Cup in 2026, and the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2023 and 2027. Over a six-season span, Smith could have access to 336 matches, compared to just 195 for a player like Lauren Milliet, who is restricted to just league games and cup competitions.

Ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Roma defender Moeka Minami had played more than 4,500 minutes of competitive football in the previous 12 months, while some of her Japan teammates had played barely 1,000 minutes. In another statistic, Spain's squad had 17 players who participated in at least 30 games before the Olympics, while Colombia had only five.

Based on these findings, FIFPro is calling for mandatory four-week off-season breaks and two-week in-season breaks to prevent player overload.

They are also advocating for minimum standards for travel, preparation, and recovery as well as the development of new competitions or league expansions to create more opportunities for those players under the existing average in an attempt to try and bridge the void between the overuse and underuse of some players.

Liverpool boss Matt Beard slammed the women's international football calendar after his team's 1-0 loss to Arsenal on Sunday, insisting that there needs to be a balance with international breaks and tournaments to prevent injuries in the professional game.

"You take out a September window, and you add in the June and a July window, so the international players, when was the last time they had a break?," he told a news conference after the defeat to Arsenal.

"Every single player at preseason were all muscle injuries, and they were all players that had been on that June and July camp because you go from doing nothing to [doing a lot] to nothing to [a lot], it's just impossible.

"They're playing two games or four games, which should be their off period. So I think that's going to be ultimately the issue. There is a major tournament every summer as well, so the players need to rest and recover, and the national teams don't let them do that. They would like to have two, three months leading into a major tournament when they can have down-time."

Beard insisted the balance has to be better, otherwise the cycle of injuries -- particular anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures -- will continue.

"The balance has to be better from an international perspective, I think, for these international players. Otherwise, this is going to just keep happening," he said.

"We need to get the domestic and then the FIFA window first before we start adding in other competitions. Otherwise, you're going to have the same problem. You're going to just keep getting injury after injury after injury. You're going to lose top players."