European Club Association wants FIFA action on early call-ups to Women's World Cup

The European Club Association has expressed concern over the number of 'alerts' from its members regarding the early call-up of players for national team duty ahead of the Women’s World Cup.

Under the mandatory release periods established within the FIFA international match calendar, the earliest national associations can take players ahead of the showpiece tournament in Australia and New Zealand is 10 July.

The ECA said players being called up before this date, with some instances as early as May, would mean insufficient time for adequate rest before the World Cup begins on 20 July and then following its conclusion as clubs prepare for the 2023-24 season.

Lack of proper rest from being called up early "evidently contravenes the protection of players' health and wellbeing", the ECA added, which must "always be a priority" and respected by all stakeholders.

The ECA’s new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with FIFA runs until the end of 2030, and recognises ECA support for the new international match calendar approved by the FIFA Council.

The MoU plays a crucial role to the functioning of the club-country relationship as it governs the release of players for international dates.

The ECA said it would seek to collaborate with FIFA in working with the national associations on not requiring players to report for duty before the World Cup mandatory release period starts.

ECA head of women’s football Claire Bloomfield said: "This is not a matter of financial compensation or the absence of adequate protection and insurance, but a serious concern for player welfare.

"The issue of early call-ups is a hangover from the game in its amateur form and is detrimental to the future success and growth of women’s football. They also generate a