By Kieran Yap 23/8/24
Photo: AFC Invitational winners in 2024. Photo via FIFPRO report.
Amid the excitement surrounding the launch of the Women’s Asian Champions League lies a harsh reality. As things stand now, it may not be the best thing for the players.
On the surface, it feels like the right step. A Women’s Champions League provides an opportunity for clubs to aim for more than just domestic silverware, and it means that players who may not be in a national team can still play at a higher level. However, a report commissioned by FIFPRO Asia/Oceania assessed the experiences of 88 players who took part in last year’s invitational tournament. The results are cause for concern.
What it reveals is that based on that pilot tournament, international club competition poses challenges for the players on an individual and collective level
-Less than two thirds (62%) identified as professional players.
-Less than half earned over $10,000 USD annually from football
-25% of players indicated that football was not their primary source of income
-Over half reported that the AWCC disrupted their domestic league seasons, with some players facing financial losses due to conflicts with non-football employment.
-Despite satisfactory accommodation, concerns were raised regarding local transport, high performance facilities and overall tournament readiness. 27% rated the local transport as poor, and 23% reported excessive strain from the tournament format.
Most concerning is that 39% of players who participated in the pilot tournament earn less than $5000 USD from football. While there is prize money available in The Champions League, it does feel like those players all of whom are dedicating at least 10 hours a week to football are at a disadvantage when it comes to winning it.
While women’s football is booming in interest throughout the world, and the AFC is correct in it’s aim to grow the sport in Asia, it is not sustainable or fair to do this to the detriment of the players.
In the case of an Australian team, (last year it was Sydney FC, this year it will be Melbourne City), the relatively higher wages guaranteed in the A-League Women do not make them immune.
More than half of the A-League Women players work a second job outside of football. Midweek fixtures are not only disruptive for the tournament, but cause a ripple effect of rescheduling later in the season.
Combined with the potential of international call-ups, the rescheduling has the ability to compound the workload and injury risk to players.
Only 39% of players felt physically prepared for the tournament, and 23% rated the condensed group format as one that neared “excessive strain.”
To make matters worse, all of this effort, travel and financial sacrifice was for a tournament that almost had no winner. The AFC called off the final due to domestic scheduling issues between the two finalists.
Eventually, the final between Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels and Uruwa Red Diamonds was held at the insistence of the clubs. But the feeling that the tournament was not taken seriously by the AFC organizers could not really be shaken.
If the AFC is to take heed of the issues raised by player remains to be seen, and things could improve when the 2024/25 edition of the tournament begins, but for that to happen things need to change urgently. Not everything can be fixed, but everything that can be fixed should be.
The report highlights communication between the AFC and the clubs as a key issue. Scheduling challenges and confusion around the final could gave been avoided with improved communication between the federation, clubs and players.
Collaboration is crucial rather than a top down decision making process. This will ensure that the competition provides the maximum benefit to all stakeholders and results in a better product.
81% of players that participated in the pilot tournament said that players should have more say in AFC decisions such as the structure, scheduling and financial elements.
Greater consultation would identify areas where the competition regulations imported from the men’s version are not appropriate or realistic to impose on part time athletes in a still developing game. In future additions, the tournament format or timing may need to change, and only ongoing consultation with the players will provide the best answers to this.
If done correctly, there is every chance that the Women’s Asian Champions League will be a great success and help grow the game in new ways. However, if the future editions of the tournament press ahead without acknowledging the ways it must be improved upon, the players will suffer, and the competition could become increasingly difficult, dangerous or even unsustainable for clubs and individuals.
Read the full FIFPRO report here.
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