The Professional Footballers Australia (PFA), formerly the Australian Soccer Players' Association, is an Australian
trade union
A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...
affiliated with the
Australian Council of Trade Unions
The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), originally the Australasian Council of Trade Unions, is the largest peak body representing workers in Australia. It is a national trade union centre of 46 affiliated unions and eight trades and la ...
that represents
professional
A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...
male, female and elite junior
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
players.
History
Before the PFA, eight previous attempts had been made to form a footballers' association in Australia. The PFA was formed in April 1993 as the Australian Soccer Players' Association.
In 1994 the PFA won a standardised contract for footballers, and through the
Australian Industrial Relations Commission
The Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC), known from 1956 to 1973 as the Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Commission and from 1973 to 1988 as the Australian Conciliation and Arbitration Commission, was a tribunal with powers ...
won the abolition of a transfer system much hated by Australian footballers.
Since the mid-1990s, the PFA has been active in advancing soccer players' pay and conditions, and has also been active in protecting soccer player's from unfair dismissal. It is a member of
FIFPro.
Awards
The PFA holds an annual award ceremony, which formally recognises the most outstanding Australian footballers.
See also
*
Soccer in Australia
Soccer, also known as football, is the most played outdoor club sport in Australia, and ranked in the top ten for television audience as of 2015. The national governing body of the sport is Football Australia (FA), which until 2019, organised ...
*
Football Federation Australia
Football Australia is the governing body of soccer, futsal, and beach soccer within Australia, headquartered in Sydney. Although the first governing body of the sport was founded in 1911, Football Australia in its current form was only esta ...
References
External links
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Trade unions in Australia
Association football trade unions
Trade unions established in 1993
1993 establishments in Australia
Association football player non-biographical articles
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