Football Australia and Professional Footballers Australia confirm CBA for 2023-2027

Staff Writer
Football Australia and Professional Footballers Australia CBA agreement
Images credit: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

Football Australia and Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) have announced a four-year National Teams Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for the Subway Socceroos and CommBank Matildas.

The new CBA arrives after the international triumphs of the Socceroos and then the Matildas, where we will see changes to the revenue-share model, Youth National Team investment, player welfare – and in addition, the introduction of past player programs.

The CBA will last during the AFC AFC Asian Cups 2023 and 2027, Paris 2024 Olympics, AFC Women’s Asian Women’s Cup 2026, FIFA World Cup 2026 and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027.

Major highlights of the agreement include: 

  • Enhanced revenue sharing between Football Australia and the players through a world leading economic model;
  • Strengthened commercial partnership between the players and Football Australia to drive further investment into the continued growth of Australian football;  
  • CommBank Matildas’ player payments to transition immediately from centralised contracts to match and commercial payments; 
  • Preservation of the gender equality model to ensure players continue to receive equal pay, employment and high-performance standards; 
  • Enhanced parental policy provisions; 
  • A commitment to develop a Football Australia human rights policy and development of joint player and Football Australia community impact investments via the PFA’s Footballers’ Trust; and 
  • Establishment of a PFA – Football Australia CBA Committee to further strengthen the partnership, focused on expanding commercial opportunities, boosting the national team brands, and elevating high performance standards. 

Football Australia’s CEO, James Johnson, voiced his excitement about the new agreement, stating:

“The new CBA represents a sophisticated economic model that rewards our players in tandem with the growth and commercial success of our national teams. It’s a model that ensures as we scale new heights commercially, and our players will share in the fruits of these triumphs — a true testament to our shared goals and values. 

“Football Australia has enjoyed remarkable growth in the last few years and this agreement is positioned to drive our progress even further forward. By incentivising our players to promote further growth we will be able to create new opportunities for generating revenue and unlocking value which was not previously available to us under the old structure. Through this new structure, we have been able to build in the possibility for innovative opportunities to respond to a dynamic and ever-changing landscape.”

“This agreement is more than a contract; it’s a commitment to progress and a promise that as our revenue base flourishes, so will the opportunities and rewards for our players, making them key contributors in our game’s prosperity. Our aim is clear: to continue growing the game of Australian football hand in hand with those who bring it to life on the pitch.” 

“I am proud to say that this CBA is a landmark not just for Football Australia, but for sports organisations worldwide. It sets a new standard for how players and national associations can work together to achieve common objectives.  

“The spirit of cooperation with the PFA and our players has been exceptional, and our shared ambition for our national teams to excel at the highest international levels is stronger than ever. We look forward to the continued growth of Australian football through collective achievements and successes.” 

PFA co-Chief Executive and former Matildas’ captain Kathryn Gill reflected on the inaugural CBA till now:

“Since the first Socceroos’ CBA in 1997 and Matildas in 2010, our national team agreements have laid the foundations for the international success Australia has enjoyed across the past 25 years. 

“In partnership with Football Australia, we have a framework to ensure we capitalise on the growth and popularity of our players and national teams across the next four years and further incentivise performance on the global stage.

“We thank Football Australia for the spirit of collaboration that has defined these negotiations and the contribution of over 40 national team players who were so actively involved.”

PFA President and current Subway Socceroo Jackson Irvine spoke on behalf of the players with the impact of this deal:

“From the outset of these negotiations, our ambition was to set up the game for more success, but we also wanted to ensure that we leave the game in a better place for those who follow us. 

“This agreement will ensure that our National Team players have everything they need to excel on the pitch, a more robust partnership that can strengthen the game and, importantly, allow us to have more impact off the pitch than ever before.

“The current generation of players are deeply grateful for those players who came before us and who fought to guarantee the conditions we enjoy today.”

For a full Facts Sheet on the 2023-2027 Collective Bargaining Agreement, you can view it here.

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NSW Football Associations Unite Behind AED Mapping Project for Statewide Safety Network

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Twelve football associations across New South Wales have joined a statewide effort to map and register Automated External Defibrillators across sporting facilities, in a project that its organisers say will significantly improve emergency response times and save lives at community sport venues.

The Heartbeat of Sport AED Mapping Project, backed by funding from the Minns Labor Government to the Heartbeat of Football Foundation, represents the first comprehensive research into AED placement across NSW sports grounds. The data collected will be provided to NSW Ambulance and its GoodSAM team to enrich the existing AED registry available to ambulance and public first responders, and will feed into NSW Health’s newly released public AED map.

The project has drawn active participation from associations spanning the breadth of the state’s football community, including Eastern Suburbs, Manly Warringah, Granville, Southern Districts, Nepean, Northern Suburbs, Football Canterbury, Bankstown, Hills, Sutherland Shire, North West Sydney Football and Football South Coast.

When seconds matter

The urgency behind the project is not theoretical. At Doyalson Wyee Football Club, a 70-year-old player survived a sudden on-field cardiac arrest because an AED was available on site. The outcome of that incident – and the many others like it that occur across community sport each year – depends entirely on whether a defibrillator is accessible, charged and registered in the systems that emergency responders rely upon.

Sudden cardiac arrest kills without warning. The survival rate drops by approximately ten percent for every minute without defibrillation. In a community sport setting, where professional medical staff are rarely present, a registered and accessible AED is the difference between a player walking off a pitch and one who does not.

The mapping project addresses a gap that has existed largely unexamined. More than 2,400 defibrillators have been deployed across NSW sports and recreation facilities through the Local Sport Defibrillator Grant Program, with grants of up to $3,000 available to eligible organisations. But a device that exists without being registered in emergency response systems provides significantly less value than one that is accurately mapped and immediately locatable by ambulance crews responding to a call.

By encouraging clubs to complete AED registration surveys, the twelve participating associations are ensuring that the equipment already on their grounds is activated within the broader emergency infrastructure – translating a physical asset into a functional one.

Regional communities and the equity of safety

The project’s expansion of the #HeartHealthMatters Program, which brings CPR and AED familiarisation training to sporting organisations with a particular focus on regional areas, addresses a dimension of safety preparedness that often receives less attention than equipment access alone.

Knowing a defibrillator exists on site is insufficient if the people present during an emergency do not know how to use it. Regional clubs, which frequently operate with smaller volunteer bases and less access to formal training programs, face a compounded risk – less equipment, less training, and longer ambulance response times due to geography. The program’s regional focus acknowledges that safety infrastructure, like sporting infrastructure more broadly, is not evenly distributed.

The data gathered through the mapping project will also guide future investment decisions, identifying facilities that still lack AEDs and providing the evidence base for targeted grant funding to address those gaps.

Football associations that have already contributed AED data have demonstrated, in the words of the project’s organisers, strong sector leadership and a shared commitment to safeguarding participants at every level of the game.

For a sport that involves hundreds of thousands of players, officials and volunteers across the state each week, the ambition of the Heartbeat of Sport project is straightforward – that no preventable death occurs on a football ground because the right equipment was not there, or could not be found.

Decision overturned: FIFA World Cup 2026 to return to Federation Square

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Following the announcement earlier this week that Federation Square would not return as a live site for this summer’s FIFA World Cup, Football Victoria announced yesterday that the decision has now been overturned.

Widespread support prevails

The football industry moves swiftly. Whether it’s a deadline-day transfer or cut-throat managerial changes, a lot can happen in a short time span.

And this proved true once again in Melbourne this week.

On Wednesday, Melbourne Arts Precinct announced that it will not proceed as a live site during this year’s tournament.

But following widespread backlash to the decision to not use Federation Square as a live site, the initial verdict will no longer go ahead.

“In the past 24 hours, Victorians demonstrated just how important our national teams are to the fabric of our community,” said Football Victoria CEO, Dan Birrell, via press release.

Furthermore, Birrell highlighted that support for a swift overturn also came from those outside the football landscape.

“The response extended far beyond football participants and supporters, reflecting the wider community’s recognition of the signficance of the tournament and the role these moments play in bringing people together.”

 

Community comes first

Having Federation Square as a live site during this year’s World Cup ensures that Melburnians wanting to back the Socceroos, can do so as one unit.

But even those who won’t be cheering for Australia, and will instead be adorning another nation’s colours, will still be able to unite and show their pride.

This is what live football is all about.

A variety of communities and nationalities which – despite supporting opposing sides – can come together under a shared love of the game. As Birrell continued to explain, this is a fundamental part of why the decision to overturn bares such importance.

“Football is a game that transcends age, background, language and culture.”

“It brings people together from all walks of life and creates moments of connection that are incredibly powerful, particularly uring global tournaments like the FIFA World Cup.”

The Socceroos will kick off their World Cup campaign against Turkey on June 14.

 

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