Representatives of professional footballers in Oceania and Asia have been looking at ways to make wider use of league benchmarking and how to achieve equal conditions for future men’s and women’s Asian Cups.
FIFPRO Asia/Oceania and the Japan Pro-Footballers Association (JPFA) co-hosted their 2025 general assembly in Tokyo, bringing together representatives from FIFPRO Asia/Oceania’s 12 member unions, observers, Japanese football stakeholders, and FIFPRO’s secretary general, Alex Phillips.
Main photo: Attendees at the general assembly held on June 16-17 2025 in Tokyo. Photo supplied.
The New Zealand Professional Footballers Association (NZPFA) were represented by FIFPRO Oceania vice president Anna Green.
The assembly included reflections from professional players, including JPFA president Maya Yoshida, who highlighted the importance of collective representation in shaping the future of football across Asia and Oceania.
Current and former players, including FIFA Women’s World Cup winners Mana Iwabuchi and Aya Miyama, WE League players Ami Otaki and Maya Yamamoto, and J1 League players from AFC Asian Champions League finalists Kawasaki Frontale, Jung Sung-Ryong and Sai van Wermeskerken, were in attendance.
FIFPRO Asia/Oceania outlined a four-point plan for the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, aimed at professionalising women’s football in the region.
The vision aims to deliver equal conditions for all future men’s and women’s AFC Asian Cups, including equality of conditions, equal prize money, a guaranteed player share of prize money, and a co-designed tournament legacy between the players and the AFC.
“The AFC Women’s Asian Cup is set to be the biggest edition in its 50-year history, at a time when women’s football is experiencing record levels of growth globally,” FIFPRO Asia/Oceania president Beau Busch said.
“It therefore presents a significant opportunity to professionalise the women’s game and ensure the tournament’s legacy supports and benefits the players who make it possible.
“The players across the region are committed to playing their part in seizing this opportunity and establishing an effective working relationship with the AFC.”
FIFPRO secretary general Alex Phillips highlighted the opportunity of collaboration between the division and key stakeholders, such as the Asian Football Confederation.
“FIFPRO’s growing influence is built on partnership,” Phillips said. “We are committed to embedding player representation in decision-making at all levels of the game — particularly with the AFC and OFC.
“Our door is open to dialogue and cooperation, and we know from global experience that shared progress creates lasting impact.”
The division also launched a new league benchmarking initiative at the general assembly.
The project aims to collate player feedback from its 12 member unions to compare working conditions across multiple clubs and leagues.
Modelled on Professional Footballers Australia’s (PFA) A-Leagues player survey, the project has received more than 1,500 responses from players in Japan’s J.League and WE League.
The JPFA’s implementation of the survey is providing unprecedented insight into workplace conditions in Japanese club football, including off-field development support and transition planning for players.
The assembly was held at the Japan Football Association’s (JFA)’s event space JFA Soccer Culture Creation Hub blue-ing! in Tokyo.
This story was first published on June 30, 2025.
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