The Women’s Super League have confirmed that players in the WSL 2 are now eligible to join the Professional Footballers Association (PFA).
This comes after the second tier of English women’s football was made fully professional for the first time.
The news has been welcomed by Karen Carney, who chaired an independent review into women’s football.
The former Lioness said: “This is a proud and significant moment for the women’s game. It’s such a clear step forward in delivering on one of the key recommendations from the review and will be essential to creating a sustainable, high-performance environment.
“It means players’ voices are heard, their rights are protected, and their welfare is prioritised. The professionalisation of BWSL2 and this agreement with the PFA show just how far the game has come and how seriously it is now being treated as a profession which can only drive women’s football forward.”
Why are WSL 2 players now eligible to join the PFA?
In a statement on the Women’s Super League website, it was confirmed that the second-tier turning fully professional has led to players now being eligible for PFA membership.
The statement read: “This is possible due to the positive changes WSL Football has introduced to make the BWSL2 fully professional and raise the minimum standards within the game, meaning that alongside the BWSL, England is the only country in the world with two fully professional women’s leagues.
“The full professionalisation of BWSL2 follows the publication of the independent review into women’s football.
“Alongside recommendations in areas such as minimum standards for players, maternity rights and mental health support, the review recommended that comprehensive and formalised union representation for both the Barclays Women’s Super League and Barclays Women’s Championship (now WSL 2) players was funded.”
WSL Football took over the responsibility of the top two tiers of English women’s football in 2024. The PFA and WSL Football have now reached a funding agreement which will allow players to get support from the PFA.
It comes at a time when the popularity of women’s football in England is increasing and ahead of next year’s expansion of the top two flights.
How will players benefit from PFA membership?
Those with PFA membership will be able to gain access, support and representation from the union across a range of issues.
This can relate to their individual contracts, rights and conditions. The WSL said they will ‘also qualify for the services and benefits provided by the PFA’.
PFA CEO, Maheta Molango said: “For any union to represent its members effectively, it needs recognition and a seat at the table when decisions are being made.
“It needs there to be agreed employee rights and conditions, and transparency and proper forums that allow employees and their union to speak up when they feel these are not being met.
“The reality is that a lot of that infrastructure just hasn’t been in place in the women’s game, but the change in management of the BWSL and BWSL2 has been a key moment for the women’s game in terms of embracing the need for far greater professional standards for players.”
