Professional Footballers' Association

This article is about the English and Welsh football trade union. For the Australian football trade union, see Professional Footballers Australia.

PFA
Professional Footballers' Association
Founded1907
Headquarters20 Oxford Court, Bishopsgate, Manchester
Location
  • England and Wales, United Kingdom
Members
Increase 5,457 (2022)[1]
Key people
AffiliationsTUC, GFTU, FEU, FIFPro
Websitethepfa.com

The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) is the trade union for professional footballers in England and Wales.

Founded in 1907, it is the world's oldest professional sports trade union,[2] with approximately 5,000 current members each season, including players from the Premier League, EFL and Women’s Super League.[3] Nearly 50,000 former members retain access to services and benefits including education grants, coaching courses and wellbeing support.

The PFA actively supports players with legal assistance, representation on contractual and disciplinary matters, and offers personal and professional development opportunities. The union also provides extensive mental and physical wellbeing support, and is committed to advocating for player rights at national and international levels. This includes taking legal action on issues such as player workload and pushing for equal representation and conditions in women’s football.

Current initiatives include the PFA Business School, which provides leadership training for players, and exclusive UEFA coaching programmes. The union also prioritises brain health through research and direct support for members dealing with neurodegenerative diseases. Additionally, it runs rehabilitation programmes for injured players, pre-season camps for out-of-contract members, and ongoing aftercare support for former professionals transitioning into life after football.

The current CEO of the PFA is Maheta Molango, who took over in 2021, and the Players' Board, led by Leyton Orient's Omar Beckles.,[4] represents member interests. The PFA's leadership team is supported by an Operational Board of non-executive directors, which oversees governance.

  1. ^ "The Professional Footballers' Association Form AR21 for year ended 30 June 2022" (PDF). GOV.UK. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 July 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  2. ^ "The PFA". League Football Education (LFE). Archived from the original on 4 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  3. ^ "Your Membership". Professional Footballers' Association. Archived from the original on 5 September 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  4. ^ "New PFA chairman Omar Beckles determined to be 'voice for the voiceless'". The Independent. 22 March 2023. Archived from the original on 4 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.