FIFPRO Player Workload Monitoring (PWM) platform and reports

01.02.2022

Developed and operated jointly by FIFPRO and Football Benchmark, the new FIFPRO PWM platform provides extensive data about the workload of professional footballers.

The cutting-edge platform addresses the growing need for aggregated player workload data by delivering information about the playing time, travel and recovery periods of a sample of male and female footballers. The open, digital platform is aimed at helping football industry stakeholders make informed decisions in designing the next generation of national and international competitions so that they are sustainable, integrated, and benefit footballers and the game as a whole.

FIFPRO also prepared several reports on the workload of both male and female footballers. All studies have been prepared in cooperation with Football Benchmark, with report data sourced from the PWM platform.

What you find inside the tool

The FIFPRO PWM platform is public facing and available for player unions and stakeholders as well as fans, media and sports scientists. It includes a wide range of metrics such as the number of minutes players are on the pitch, the accumulated duration of their international travel, and the length of their rest and recovery periods.

FIFPRO and Football Benchmark have agreed to a detailed plan to develop the platform over the next three years. Regular data updates will enable comparisons between players and competitions around the world, and measure changes across different seasons.

2023 Men's Annual Report: Extreme Calendar Congestion: The Adverse Effects On Player Health & Wellbeing

The 2023 annual report provides a focused overview of the unprecedented workload demands placed upon the leading players in men’s football across the 2022/23 season. This publication follows on from two mid-season PWM flash reports, in which the pre-World Cup months and post-World Cup period were scrutinised from a workload perspective. These periods saw dangerous levels of fixture congestion, as competing competitions vied to complete their competition calendars.

The extreme levels of calendar congestion evident over the course of the season posed a pressing danger to the physical and mental health of players. The increasing demands placed upon the game’s leading young players must also be reflected upon as concerns grow for the health and longevity of their burgeoning careers. Furthermore, the fixture congestion witnessed across the past season seems likely to further increase over the coming years as new competitions and expanded formats continue to add more matches.

All of this continues without the implementation of fundamental workload safeguards, placing the future of the game’s key contributors, the players, at risk.

Download the report here or click on the image below.

Previous reports by Football Benchmark & FIFPRO on Men's football:


2023 FIFA Women's World Cup - Workload Journey Report

The latest PWM Annual Report discusses the workload of players in the build-up to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup (FWWC). The report provides an overview of the “pathway to the tournament” through the lens of workload and playing opportunities for players at both international and club level.

Continuing the themes of FIFPRO reports on women’s football from the last few years, the data presented in the study shows that a large degree of fragmentation exists across elite professional and international football. Many players are experiencing what we have termed “underload”, where players are afforded a relatively low number of appearances each season. This is a view of the industry that is perhaps often overlooked and unseen: the fragmented spread of games from team to team challenges the potential “readiness” for players to perform on the world stage. It also highlights where important and meaningful reforms can be positively influential.

A World Cup provides the industry with an opportunity to pause and reflect. For women’s football to sustainably flourish in a way that protects and promotes the wellbeing of players, solutions are required to inform decision makers and support player performance and the worldwide development of the game.

Download the report here or click on the image below.

Previous reports by Football Benchmark & FIFPRO on Women's football:

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