FIFPRO Asia/Oceania report on women’s Asian club experience

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Image credit: FIFPRO website

FIFPRO Asia/Oceania has published a report evaluating players’ experiences in the 2023/24 AFC Women’s Club Championship (AWCC).

The report, “Lessons from the AFC Women’s Club Championship,” compiles insights from 88 players across the eight clubs that participated in last season’s invitational tournament, representing teams are from Australia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Uzbekistan, India, and Iran. This competition acted as a precursor to the 2024/25 AFC Women’s Champions League, which kicked off on Sunday.

The report offers an in-depth look at players’ careers, backgrounds, and experiences in Asia’s continental club competition, while also analysing critical factors like professional status, pay, and working conditions.

The report also evaluates the AWCC format, scheduling, finances, and the 2024 AWCC final, providing crucial insights as the AFC Women’s Champions League prepares for its inaugural season.

Player Profile

FIFPRO Asia/Oceania serves as the sole international collective voice for professional footballers across Asia and Oceania, representing over 6,000 players through its 12 member unions.

Just 62% of these players identified as ‘Professional,’ while 32% classified themselves as ‘Semi-Professional,’ and 6% as ‘Amateur.’

While these labels are somewhat subjective, the survey revealed the real-life experiences of female players in Asian clubs:

  • One quarter (25%) reported that football was not their main source of income.
  • Fewer than half (42%) earned over $10,000 annually from football.
  • Less than a third (32%) committed at least 20 hours per week to football.
  • Fewer than a third (30%) reported receiving extra salary or bonuses for participating in the AWCC.

Players who aren’t full-time professionals must juggle football with other jobs, studies, or family duties. Only 9% of players reported that the AWCC didn’t interfere with their domestic football or other life commitments.

For the 16% who said the competition affected their non-football employment, it may have led to financial losses due to their participation in the tournament.

When AFC competitions, like the AWCC, interfere with domestic league schedules—as they did for 51% of players—the rescheduled domestic matches add to the difficulties female players face in managing their multiple commitments.

This doesn’t imply that Asian women players should be excluded from continental competitions; 85% of players from the 2023-24 AWCC expressed a desire to participate again. Players are eager to challenge themselves at the highest level and are willing to make sacrifices for the opportunity.

Working Conditions

All players rated the standard of accommodation as either somewhat good (46%) or very good (54%).

However, a quarter of players reported that local transport was either somewhat poor (20%) or very poor (7%), and 17% described the high-performance facilities as inadequate.

Several players from Group B in Tashkent noted that the accommodation was too distant from the playing arena.

Players who rated the facilities and transport as poor were most often from Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels (South Korea) or Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan). Conversely, those who rated them as very good were more likely to come from FC Nasaf (Uzbekistan), Bangkok WFC (Thailand), and Hualien (Taiwan).

These varying perceptions likely reflect the differences in expectations between the top women’s leagues in Asia and less advanced domestic competitions.

Reflecting on the report’s findings, FIFPRO Asia/Oceania Chair Takuya Yamazaki stated via press release:

“The AFC’s unilateral decision-making must change to ensure the success of continental competitions. We continue to recommend a genuine partnership between professional footballers, clubs, leagues, and the AFC, which is crucial to unlocking the potential of Asian football.”

Kathryn Gill, FIFPRO Global and Asia/Oceania board member, former Australia international, and 2010 AFC Women’s Player of the Year, said via press release:

“Whilst the potential of the women’s game in Asia is immense, we must ensure it is developed in a way that is responsive to the lived realities illustrated in this report. This can only occur through establishing a genuine partnership between the AFC, leagues, clubs and players, and not through unilaterally overlaying regulations that are fit for men’s competitions onto female competitions.”

Three Key Recommendations To Enhance Competitions 

A Collaborative Approach to Decision-Making

Eighty-one percent of surveyed players who took part in the AWCC believe that players should have more influence on AFC decisions, including those related to structure, scheduling, and financial aspects.

Higher Minimum Standards

AFC Women’s Champions League regulations should protect players from poor conditions and use the tournament’s influence to encourage professionalism throughout the continent.

Increased Visibility and Commercial Opportunity

As the commercial potential of women’s football continues to expand, the AFC needs to invest in boosting the visibility of women’s continental club competitions.

To read the full report in its entirety, click here.

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Grassroots Clubs Want to Grow – But They Need the Tools to Do It

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Across Australia, grassroots football clubs are doing extraordinary work to keep the game alive in their communities. Volunteers line fields, coordinate registrations, organise sponsorships and manage finances – often all at once. But new survey insights suggest something deeper: clubs want to grow commercially, yet many lack the knowledge and systems required to do so.

The results point to a clear reality. Community football’s commercial potential exists, but it remains largely untapped.

When asked about their club’s commercial strategy, confidence was strikingly low. Half of respondents (50%) said their club has only a limited commercial strategy, while 25% admitted there is no clear strategy at all. Only 25% described their approach as somewhat confident, and notably no respondents felt “very confident” about their club’s commercial direction.

Image Credit: One-Nil Media

For a sport that prides itself on being the most participated in Australia, that figure should give administrators pause.

Community clubs are often expected to behave like small businesses – raising revenue, managing stakeholders and investing in infrastructure. Yet the data suggests many are navigating these expectations without a clear roadmap.

The question then becomes: where are clubs currently generating revenue?

The survey shows that sponsorship and memberships dominate equally, each accounting for 50% of the primary revenue sources identified by respondents. Events, often seen as a key opportunity for community engagement and fundraising, accounted for 0% of responses as the main income generator.

Image Credit: One-Nil Media

This reliance on two core streams highlights a structural vulnerability. Sponsorship and memberships are important pillars, but they are also susceptible to economic pressures and local community fluctuations. Without diversified revenue, such as events, partnerships, digital engagement, or merchandising, clubs risk stagnating financially.

However, perhaps the most revealing insight from the survey relates to the barriers clubs face in expanding their commercial capabilities.

A significant 75% of respondents identified a lack of commercial knowledge as the biggest barrier to growth. The remaining 25% pointed to volunteer capacity.

Image Credit: One-Nil Media

This distinction is crucial. It suggests the issue is not simply about manpower, but also expertise.

Volunteers remain the lifeblood of grassroots football, but expecting them to also function as marketing managers, sponsorship strategists and commercial analysts may be unrealistic without proper support. In many cases, passionate community members are asked to perform professional-level commercial tasks with limited guidance.

That challenge becomes even clearer when examining how clubs track their commercial performance.

Only 25% of respondents said their club tracks return on investment consistently, while 75% said they do so only sometimes.

Image Credit: One-Nil Media

Without consistent measurement, it becomes difficult for clubs to demonstrate value to sponsors, justify investments, or refine strategies. In modern sport, data-driven decision making is not a luxury; it is essential.

For community clubs competing for attention and funding in crowded local markets, the ability to measure impact could be the difference between securing long-term partnerships and losing potential sponsors.

Encouragingly, the survey also highlights where clubs believe solutions may lie.

When asked what support they need most to grow revenue, 50% of respondents identified commercial education as the priority. Meanwhile 25% called for better commercial tools, and another 25% highlighted the need for stronger media and content capabilities.

Image Credit: One-Nil Media

Taken together, these responses paint a consistent picture: grassroots clubs are not asking for handouts, they are asking for knowledge, systems, and support.

This presents a major opportunity for football’s governing bodies, commercial partners and industry stakeholders.

If the sport is serious about strengthening the foundations of the game, investing in commercial capability at the community level must become part of the strategy. That could mean workshops for volunteers, accessible sponsorship toolkits, digital platforms that simplify partnership management or better storytelling frameworks that help clubs showcase their value to local businesses.

The demand clearly exists.

Community football already delivers enormous social return by bringing people together, supporting youth development and strengthening local identity. The challenge now is ensuring clubs have the commercial frameworks required to sustain that impact.

Because the truth is simple: grassroots clubs are willing to do the work.

They just need the tools.

And if Australian football wants to unlock the full potential of its largest participation base, empowering community clubs commercially may be one of the most important investments the game can make.

Soccerscene Launches ‘Unfiltered’ Podcast with Bill Papastergiadis

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Soccerscene is kicking off a bold new chapter in football storytelling with the launch of its brand-new podcast, Unfiltered. The series promises honest, thought-provoking conversations about football culture, identity, and the stories fans don’t usually hear in mainstream coverage.

In the very first episode, host Mihaila Kilibarda sits down with acclaimed lawyer and South Melbourne FC President, Bill Papastergiadis, to explore football’s role in shaping communities, culture, and personal identity. From emotional connections to off-the-pitch stories, Bill’s perspective brings a unique depth to the game, blending intellectual insight with genuine passion.

“Football is more than just a game — it’s where culture, identity, and community meet,” says Papastergiadis during the episode. “It’s a space where stories are told, and people find belonging.”

Listeners can expect Unfiltered to go beyond match reports and transfers. Each episode will dive into the ideas, people, and cultural forces that make football one of the world’s most compelling sports. Episode 1 is available now, and it sets the tone for a series that will challenge, entertain, and inspire.

Listen now on Spotify: Episode 1 – Bill Papastergiadis

With Unfiltered, Soccerscene is giving fans a space to think, feel, and debate about the game they love. Further, it is encouraging conversations that are as engaging as the football itself.

Stay tuned for future episodes, featuring more voices shaping the beautiful game.

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