Subdivision
Professional Football Relations and Development
Growing relations and growing the game, together
What is it?
A subdivision of the FIFA Professional Football Division that works with the community of professional football stakeholders across the globe.
Who is it for?
The subdivision serves all those invested in raising the standard of professional football. This includes all 211 FIFA member associations, league and club representatives, every significant professional football organisation, professional players and coaches.
Why do we do this?
To help unite the world through football by raising professional standards and cultivating an ecosystem where every club and player can compete at the highest possible level.
What we do
The FIFA Professional Football Relations and Development Subdivision was created to improve professionalism in football by strengthening the bonds between FIFA and stakeholders from every part of the professional game. Behind every great success story lies a supportive ecosystem of team-mates, club employees, coaches and fans. Working side by side with FIFA member associations, leagues and clubs, the subdivision is helping to grow the game and improve standards for teams, players and fans on every continent. By working together, this community is taking football to new heights. Together, we are raising the game.
Despite football’s global appeal, collaboration within the professional football community has historically been hampered by the competing views and interests of different governing bodies. As FIFA’s primary contact point with the wider professional football world, the FIFA Professional Football Relations and Development Subdivision has transformed the quality of communication and collaboration between key professional football stakeholders. In addition to cultivating a healthier professional football community, FIFA Professional Football Relations and Development oversees a wide variety of programmes to improve standards within the professional game.
Our story
The Professional Football Department was established in 2016 to manage the various channels of communication with key football stakeholders, including clubs, players and leagues. In 2022, the department became a subdivision within the Professional Football Division of FIFA’s Football Branch.
The new subdivision was renamed Professional Football Relations and Development. This name reflects our wider remit and mission; we are the main point of contact with professional football stakeholders across the globe, we develop and manage knowledge-sharing programmes that are accessible to the professional football community, and we create and deliver a wide range of initiatives focused on topical issues in the professional game.
All of our work seeks to raise the level of football globally.
You can find more information about whom we work with and the various programmes and initiatives we run using the links below.