Affiliates of the World Players Association (WPA) met at FIFPRO HQ in Amsterdam late last month to elect a new Executive Committee (Ex Co) team to lead the organization through the 2023-26 period.
The WPA, which is headquartered in Nyon, Switzerland, brings together over 85,000 athletes, through 138 player associations, in over 70 countries, across 17 different sports. The 14-person Ex Co, comprising the leading representatives of athletes globally, committed to scaling up efforts to build the power of the player association movement and stop the harm arising from the power imbalances many athletes are subject to because of global sport’s governance and institutions. This includes threats to their health and safety, the exploitation of their commercial rights, and cases of widespread abuse.
The Ex Co would like to sincerely thank and acknowledge the outstanding contributions of outgoing President, Don Fehr, and Executive Director, Brendan Schwab, who are finishing their tenures with the organization after almost a decade at the helm. Fehr and Schwab have been instrumental in laying the foundations for World Players, embedding its presence as the recognized voice for athletes among many global institutions, and making great strides to ensure the fundamental rights of athletes are embedded in global sport.