Social dialogue in the professional football field covers the profession of football players.
The sectoral social dialogue committee has been created in 2008. There are around 30,000 professional players in the EU, with at least 1,200 clubs that employ men and 130 clubs that employ women.
The profession is characterised by a high degree of heterogeneity in terms of governance, salaries and working conditions. Cross-border mobility and staff turnover are particularly high in this sector (Eurofound Representativeness study, 2023).
Social partners invited the UEFA to chair the social dialogue meetings. The European Social Partners are also represented in the UEFA’s various Committees.
The sector faces the following main challenge:
- standard player contract, implementing this EU-level collective agreement on minimum requirements for standard player contracts
- diversity, equality and inclusion, notably promoting best practices in gender equality in football management
- international Match calendar and players’ workload, arguing for a bigger role of social partners in the profession’s governance and addressing footballers’ working conditions
- legal issues such as respect for EU rules on freedom of movement and Competition, whilst allowing for autonomous sport’s governing bodies in line with the EU’s sports model
Workers' organisations
Employers' organisations
Key areas
The current work programme focuses on:
- national social dialogue support
- diversity, equality and inclusion
- transfer system
- occupational health and safety
Activities and meetings
Check the library entries for this sectoral social dialogue committee.
Achievements/Joint texts
Check the social dialogue texts database