How FIFPRO supports sport for everyone

An estimated half of the world's population consider themselves football fans, and a good chunk of those fans play it too. Much of football’s popularity is down to the stars of the game, and FIFPRO, the global players' union, is working to ensure that football remains a sport for everyone – which is why it lent its support to the European Week of Sport (EWoS).

“The European Week of Sport touches on something really important for our society: it’s about keeping everyone physically active,” says Alexander Bielefeld, FIFPRO’s Senior Manager Policy and Strategic Relations.

“We can see the global trends: people are becoming less and less active, and this affects all parts of society, all groups, communities and genders. Obviously, we feel this is something we are connected to, but there is no one secret formula to turn it around. What we have to do is work together on a comprehensive programme that covers physical activity, access to sport, nutrition, health and other issues.”

Grow positively

FIFPRO is continuing its work on encouraging sport to grow positively. One of its priorities concerns the development of women’s football: facts and figures show that there is a gender gap in fitness, with women tending to do less sport than men.

“Sometimes it is to do with old stereotypes or the opportunities and access available to them. If that is the case, we should be opening up the playing paths and clearing the way for them,” he says.

“And when it comes to football, we want to get young girls to fall in love with the game. If we can have more grassroots players and better access to elite academies, we will have ultimately more professional players which will help inspire the next generation.”

FIFPRO is one of the supporters of the BeActive #5minchallenge, based around the idea that even five minutes of exercise a day can have beneficial effects. But Bielefeld says the entire EWoS programme helped raise awareness of the benefits of physical exercise.

Pan-European initiative

“The great thing about EWoS is that it is a pan-European initiative, beyond even the EU. And we can link it with national members and partners,” he says.

“This twinning approach is really effective. And with FIFPRO, we have player ambassadors, role models, and other people and resources to reach people where they are. Where we feel we can make a very specific contribution to EWoS is through synergies between our player unions at domestic level and the national efforts to promote sport and physical activity.”

Bielefeld points out that while FIFPRO is promoting sport and physical activity it is also concerned about the health of its elite players in the game. A groundbreaking FIFPRO report published this summer warned that the health of top footballers is at risk and called for mandatory offseason breaks of four weeks. The 'At the Limit' report said some players are struggling with mental and physical strain as they face "match overload" and play fixtures with less than five days of rest. 

“Our report on the workload of players looked at how you keep players performing at their best without wearing them out – players go through injuries, ignore warning signs to play on. Our industry must ensure the health of the players and provide them with sustainable career paths,” Bielefeld says. 

Bielefeld says the European Week of Sport has grown and consolidated to become a true game-changer in raising awareness about the benefits of physical activity. “It has made sure that the national programmes link up and ensure consistency and strong engagement. And it has shown what international cooperation can achieve if there is a common purpose and a joint vision for our societies,” he says.