An International Workshop on How Unions Turn the Voice of Players into Real Change
Australia hosted the first FIFPRO Organising Workshop — a practical international workshop dedicated to how players' unions can build a stronger connection with footballers, develop internal leadership, and turn players' demands into collective action. Representatives of the Association of Professional Footballers of the Kyrgyz Republic also took part in the programme.
The three-day workshop took place from 11 to 13 March 2026 in the Blue Mountains region and became part of FIFPRO's international programme aimed at strengthening the capacity of players' unions. The main emphasis was placed on practical tools for working with footballers, developing leadership within unions, and fostering the sustainable involvement of players in union activity.
Why This Format Is Needed
The event was designed by the FIFPRO team responsible for engagement with unions and players as an intensive training programme for union representatives from around the world.
Its aim was to help participants gain a better understanding of:
- how an effective player organisation is built;
- how trust is established;
- how collective strength is formed;
- how the shared values of players are turned into real action.
Who Took Part
The workshop brought together more than 50 representatives of FIFPRO member organisations and other international associations, including the World Players Association.
The training was delivered with the support of organising coaches from:
- Australia,
- the USA,
- France,
- Germany,
- Pakistan.
This composition of participants and trainers made it possible to combine international experience with different approaches to the development of representative organisations.
Practice Instead of Theory
The programme was focused not on theory, but on applied mechanisms. Participants discussed:
- how to build a connection with players;
- how to identify leaders within teams;
- how to conduct individual and collective communication;
- how to use the personal stories and shared experience of footballers to build a stronger union movement.
Particular attention was paid to how unions can develop a sustainable internal structure. The discussion focused on building trust, working with player engagement, establishing long-term relationships, and developing an approach in which players perceive the union not as an external organisation, but as their own tool of representation and protection.
Adaptation to the Football Environment
An important feature of the workshop was that its content was tailored specifically to the football environment. FIFPRO ran the programme in partnership with the Center for Social Innovation in Developing Countries, which made it possible to combine the methods of community organising and leadership development with the real-life tasks of players' unions.
The discussion focused not on abstract models, but on concrete tools applicable in day-to-day work:
- during meetings with teams;
- during visits to dressing rooms;
- in individual conversations with players;
- in building a union network within the football community.
Organising as a Core Function of a Union
The FIFPRO leadership emphasised that organising is one of the core functions of any players' association, but it is precisely this function that requires consistency, patience, and continuous work. For this reason, the development of unions' organisational capacity is regarded as one of the key areas of international support.
What This Means for APFKR
For APFKR, participation in a workshop of this kind holds particular practical value. Programmes like this make it possible to:
- adopt international experience;
- gain a deeper understanding of how to build a sustainable system of engagement with footballers;
- amplify the collective voice of players;
- foster internal leadership within the professional football community of Kyrgyzstan.
Part of FIFPRO's Wider Programme in Australia
The Organising Workshop became part of FIFPRO's wider programme of events in Australia in March 2026, alongside the FIFPRO Asia/Oceania General Assembly in Sydney and the Women's Football Summit.
This format allowed participants not only to discuss strategic issues in the development of the union movement, but also to gain concrete tools for further work in their own countries and regions.