Football Australia and PFA Announce game-changing National Teams CBA
Football Australia and the Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) have unveiled a groundbreaking four-year National Teams Collective Bargaining Agreement for the Subway Socceroos and CommBank Matildas, reaffirming their commitment to the national teams and promoting gender equality and revenue sharing. This partnership was initially established in 2019.
The CBA comes on the heels of international achievements by the Matildas, semi-finalists at this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup, and the Socceroos, who made it to the Round of 16 at the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup.
It brings several enhancements to the National Teams revenue-sharing model, ensures continued investment in Australia’s Youth National Team program, secures record levels of investment in player welfare and development, and introduces past player programs for the first time.
The new CBA covers major events, including the AFC Asian Cups 2023 and 2027, Paris 2024 Olympics, AFC Women’s Asian Women’s Cup 2026, FIFA Men’s World Cup 2026 and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027.
The agreement includes enhanced revenue sharing between Football Australia and players through a cutting-edge economic model, strengthened commercial collaboration between players and Football Australia to drive further investment in Australian football’s growth, the immediate transition of CommBank Matildas’ player payments from centralised contracts to match and commercial payments, preservation of the gender equality model, improved parental policy provisions, commitment to develop a Football Australia human rights policy and establishment of a PFA-Football Australia CBA Committee to reinforce the partnership.
A new four year CBA 🔒@TheMatildas 🤝 @Socceroos 🤝 @FootballAus #SupportingThePlayers pic.twitter.com/h8pACUC6O4
— Professional Footballers Australia (@thepfa) November 8, 2023
“The new CBA represents a sophisticated economic model that rewards our players in tandem with the growth and commercial success of our national teams,” said Football Australia CEO James Johnson.
“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.”
Kathryn Gill, co-Chief Executive of the PFA and former Matildas’ captain, highlighted the importance of the agreement in capitalising on the growth and popularity of Australian players and national teams.
She commended Football Australia for their collaborative spirit throughout the negotiations.
“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,” Gill affirmed.
“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.”
Jackson Irvine, PFA President and current Subway Socceroo, expressed the ambition of this agreement to set the stage for the game’s success, ensure a robust partnership, and have a positive impact both on and off the field.
“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,” Irvine said
“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.”
The President @jacksonirvine_ on the new National Teams CBA🙏#SupportingThePlayers#BuildingTheGame pic.twitter.com/f6WEhJjjGF
— Professional Footballers Australia (@thepfa) November 8, 2023
This new CBA represents a significant milestone for Football Australia and the PFA, setting the bar for cooperation between players and national associations. It not only focuses on the success of the national teams but also aims to strengthen the sport and its impact in the broader community.
