On the eve of the Women’s World Cup, the Australian players’ union has taken steps to “proactively prevent abuse, bullying and harassment” and is announcing that it will launch a first-of-its-kind Safe Football Project in the new year.
In response to incidents of systemic failures to protect female players in Australia and internationally, including the uncovering of abusive coaches within the NWSL in the US and sexual abuses suffered by players in Afghanistan and Haiti, Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) will introduce a range of education and safeguarding measures, and try to enhance reporting mechanisms available to players.
