French Women’s Footballers Demand Collective Bargaining Agreement Amid Growing Frustration

French professional women’s footballers are escalating their campaign for a collective bargaining agreement, declaring that the prolonged delay in negotiations is “no longer acceptable” as they face disparities in treatment compared to their male counterparts.

The Ligue féminine de football professionnel (LFFP) was established in July 2024 with the expectation that a collective bargaining agreement would accompany its creation. However, as of April 2026, no such agreement has been finalized despite over three years of discussions.

Captains from both Première Ligue and Seconde Ligue have taken unified action, publishing a joint tribune in L’Équipe and issuing a statement through the UNFP (National Union of Professional Footballers) to voice their frustration. Their message is direct: “Even football, same demands. Still not the same rights.”

The players emphasize that while they perform the same sport with identical training intensities and physical demands, they lack equivalent protections in areas such as health safeguards, working conditions, and career security. They argue this gap is particularly troubling given the progress seen in men’s professional football.

“In just a few months, the framework for a collective bargaining agreement is advancing rapidly for the upcoming Ligue 3. Meanwhile, negotiations for women’s football have been ongoing for more than three years,” the captains stated in their L’Équipe tribune.

The situation has drawn attention to specific clubs facing uncertainty, most notably Dijon. The women’s section at Dijon FCO is reportedly under threat of disappearing at the professional level due to a lack of guaranteed investment and structural support, with no collective agreement in place to provide baseline protections.

In early April 2026, Dijon players issued an open letter criticizing what they described as opaque management and insufficient consideration for the team’s future. The UNFP-communicated statement from the captains warned that without a collective agreement, more sections like Dijon’s could face similar risks.

The players are not dismissing efforts made since the LFFP’s formation but insist these have fallen short of establishing a fair framework. Their core demands center on creating an equitable system that protects player health, regulates working conditions, secures career prospects, and fosters genuine social dialogue within the sport.

They are calling for all stakeholders—including league officials, club representatives, and governing bodies—to reconvene and finalize the terms of a collective bargaining agreement before the next competitive season begins.

The next confirmed checkpoint in this ongoing situation is the start of the upcoming season, for which the players have explicitly requested that an agreement be in place beforehand.

As the 2025-2026 season progresses toward its conclusion, the pressure continues to mount on French football authorities to resolve what the players characterize as a long-overdue and fundamentally fair request for equal treatment under a collectively bargained framework.

For ongoing developments on this story and other developments in global women’s sport, continue following Archysport’s coverage.

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