Identifying Best Practice in Women's Football - FIFA/CIES ...

"“Røa players have between 1-year and 5-year contracts, with differing paymentprofiles. Players can be considered professionals by the FIFA definition, butultimately they are ‘semi-professional’ as most are either studying or working inaddition to playing football.” 632.3.1 Professional Employment of Women FootballersIn terms of professional employment an individual is expected to possess the requisite skillsand/or education, perform a task competently, do so as a manner of obtaining an incomerather than as a hobby, and conduct oneself to the standards as would be expected in the jobrole. Hence, a professional is often contrasted with unskilled, incompetent, and amateur. 64UEFA has recognized the EPFL (European Professional Football Leagues) as arepresentative body for interests of employers of professional footballers. The leagues areessentially made up professional clubs’ representatives in a country who are the directemployers of the athletes. The EPFL essentially uses the FIFA definition of a professionalplayer if questioned, but have formulated their own indicators of “professionalism” such asthe sustainability of the league, player union structures and effective commercialization rightsas prerequisite criteria to join the EPFL. In addition, recognition by the countries footballassociation is a prerequisite, suggesting political approval for professionalism is necessary inthe European sport context. The EPFL has no women’s leagues in its constituency and has noimmediate plans to include women’s leagues. 65 In many countries, women’s football is stilldeveloping in the areas of sustainability, player unions and effective commercialization thatthe EPFL identifies as part of its pre-requisites, hence falls well below in terms of the EPFLunderstanding of professionalism.2.3.2 Management and Administration of Women’s FootballAn indication of the state of professionalism in women’s football can be revealed by who hascontrol/jurisdiction of the administration of the game at a national level, below the control ofFIFA and UEFA. Sweden is the only example, from the dataset, where there is a separatelegal entity (EFD - Elitföreningen Damfotboll) to run professional women’s football.""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""63 Ragnar Austad and Harald Nickelsen, Røa IL, interviewed by Creesen Naicker, in-person interview, 12, May2010, Oslo, Norway.64 Advanced Learners Dictionary and Definitions Oxford University Press, 2010.65 Jair Bertoni, EPFL Head of Cabinet of CEO, personal communication by email, 12, May 2010.#8"