Welcome to the website of the Professional Players Federation, the national organisation for the Player Associations in the United Kingdom. There are over 17,500 professional sportsmen and women in Britain and the PPF is dedicated to promoting, protecting and developing their collective interests. We have been working for the players since our establishment in 1991.
The PPF currently has twelve Player Associations in membership who are responsible for setting our priorities. We focus on cross-sport issues that affect all the members such as match fixing, Diversity & Inclusion, career transition, mental health and anti-doping.
You will find information on a number of research and education projects we have undertaken to help our members as well as a range of resources available to help individual players. We also provide details of our various Committees which provide forums for our Player Associations to exchange ideas, share best practice and agree the organisation’s goals.
If you have any queries relating to our work or the work of our members, please get in touch.
PPF Communications Committee Chair Luke Reynolds joined the PCA in 2013 initially in the role as Social Media Executive. He has since progressed working across all departments and now leads a team of four as Head of Communications. We look at the key priorities and challenges and how the Communications Committee is working together to develop best practice and increase knowledge and collaboration between members.
The PCA Players’ Committee, alongside further playing members have met in Paris at the PCA Summit to discuss topical issues in the men’s and women’s game across England and Wales. Following the conclusion of the 2024 season, players were invited to attend the three-day event to deliberate on the current cricketing landscape and asked to divulge the opinions of their respective dressing rooms.
Surveys conducted by the PFA over the 2023/24 season reveal that two-thirds of players say the fear of injury can have a detrimental effect on their mental wellbeing. Professional footballers, particularly those who spend a career on short, fixed-term contracts, fear that a significant injury could have a potentially devastating impact on their careers and long-term financial stability.
On World Mental Health Day, Kate Cross has penned a blog detailing her experiences with anxiety and why she believes the mental health campaign launched by the PCA and Sporting Chance is so important for current and former cricketers.
Frances Kitching retired from professional football prior to the 2024/25 season and has now taken on a dual role supporting the women’s football and EDI divisions at the players’ union. Kitching led a successful career in the WSL and Women’s Championship for over a decade, representing Sheffield United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Watford, and most recently Crystal Palace.
The PFA hosted former players, clubs, and league representatives at its Manchester HQ for an afternoon focused on sharing best practice for supporting players with neurodegenerative diseases.
The Professional Jockeys Association has announced that British horseracing’s ‘Oscars’ for professional jockeys, the annual Lesters awards, in association with World Pool, will be held in front of an audience for the first time since 2018 at Newbury Racecourse on Sunday 22nd December.
In partnership with Healix Health and the UK's largest healthcare charity, Nuffield Health, the WRPA is currently benefitting retired and retiring players through a recently launched Player Transition Programme. By giving them access to Nuffield Health's first-class healthcare in South Wales and gym facilities throughout the UK, the aim is to support players to be ‘life, work and sport ready’ when transitioning to the next stage of their life.
The Rugby Football Union, Premiership Rugby and The Rugby Players Association have co-created a new Men’s Professional Game Partnership (MPGP) after 18 months of collaboration. The eight-year partnership aims to create world-beating English teams and thriving professional leagues with players and fans at the heart of it.