Strike action in association football
Encyclopedia
The following is a history of strike action
in association football.
(PFA), led by Jimmy Hill
, organised a campaign seeking the abolition of the maximum wage, which then stood at £20 per week, and of the retain and transfer system
. Following talks involving the PFA, the Football Association, the Football League and the Ministry of Labour
, the Football League committee offered a gradual increase in the maximum to £30, taking place over five years. At a PFA meeting in London, 250 players voted unanimously for strike action. Two further meetings elsewhere in the country brought the total to 712 players, of whom 18 voted against strike action. On 9 January 1961 the League made a revised proposal, but PFA members rejected it by a three to one margin. On 18 January, three days before the planned strike, the parties agreed to an immediate abolition of the maximum wage and the strike was called off.
In September 2011, players from Plymouth Argyle
considered going on strike, due to a dispute over wages.
experienced its first ever player strike in March 1996. The start to the 2011–12 season was delayed due to strike action by players, following a failure of the players' and clubs' respective unions to agree on a new collective bargaining agreement. On 5 September 2011, the strike was called off after a compromise was reached.
and Adeccoligaen
in both June 2002 and May 2011. The 2002 dispute concerned insurance terms and general working conditions. The 2011 action was prompted by regulations on holidays and whether players were required to use football boots and sports equipment produced by respective club sponsors. In both periods the disputes were settled after one round of league fixtures.
In March 2011, Spanish league matches were postponed due to a dispute over television revenue, but a week later the strike was blocked by the Spanish courts.
In August 2011, further strike action was announced, after players asked for a guaranteed wage, in case their clubs went bankrupt, and the strike action disrupted the first week of the Spanish season. Players including Ikechukwu Uche
came out to the media to discuss why they were going on strike.
On 25 August, it was announced that talks between the Liga de Futbol Profesional (LFP) and Association of Spanish Footballers had reached a resolution, and that league football would resume the next weekend.
voted for a strike to delay the start of the 2010 Major League Soccer season
, as scheduled for March 2010. The main issues for the players related to guaranteed contracts and freedom of transfer. The season commenced as planned when the dispute was settled five days before the first game.
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
in association football.
England
During 1960 the Professional Footballers' AssociationProfessional Footballers' Association
The Professional Footballers' Association is the trade union for professional footballers in England and Wales. The world's oldest professional sport trade union, it has 4,000 members....
(PFA), led by Jimmy Hill
Jimmy Hill
James William Thomas "Jimmy" Hill OBE is an English association football personality. His career has taken in virtually every role in football, including player, union leader, coach, manager, director, chairman, television executive, presenter, analyst and match official.-Early life:Hill was born...
, organised a campaign seeking the abolition of the maximum wage, which then stood at £20 per week, and of the retain and transfer system
Retain and transfer system
The retain and transfer system was a restriction that existed in England from 1893 until 1963 on the freedom of professional association football players to transfer from one Football League club to another...
. Following talks involving the PFA, the Football Association, the Football League and the Ministry of Labour
Ministry of Labour
The Ministry of Labour was a British civil service department established by the New Ministries and Secretaries Act 1916. It was renamed the Employment Department in 1988, and finally abolished in 1995...
, the Football League committee offered a gradual increase in the maximum to £30, taking place over five years. At a PFA meeting in London, 250 players voted unanimously for strike action. Two further meetings elsewhere in the country brought the total to 712 players, of whom 18 voted against strike action. On 9 January 1961 the League made a revised proposal, but PFA members rejected it by a three to one margin. On 18 January, three days before the planned strike, the parties agreed to an immediate abolition of the maximum wage and the strike was called off.
In September 2011, players from Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
considered going on strike, due to a dispute over wages.
Italy
Serie ASerie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
experienced its first ever player strike in March 1996. The start to the 2011–12 season was delayed due to strike action by players, following a failure of the players' and clubs' respective unions to agree on a new collective bargaining agreement. On 5 September 2011, the strike was called off after a compromise was reached.
Norway
In Norway, short-term player strike action led to the cancellation of fixtures in the TippeligaenTippeligaen
Tippeligaen is a Norwegian professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Norwegian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. The league is also unofficially known under its neutral name Eliteserien , although the name has never been official...
and Adeccoligaen
Adeccoligaen
The Norwegian First Division is the second highest division of the Norwegian football league system. Since 2005, the official name of the league has been Adeccoligaen....
in both June 2002 and May 2011. The 2002 dispute concerned insurance terms and general working conditions. The 2011 action was prompted by regulations on holidays and whether players were required to use football boots and sports equipment produced by respective club sponsors. In both periods the disputes were settled after one round of league fixtures.
Spain
In November 2009, Spanish players threatened a strike due to tax increases.In March 2011, Spanish league matches were postponed due to a dispute over television revenue, but a week later the strike was blocked by the Spanish courts.
In August 2011, further strike action was announced, after players asked for a guaranteed wage, in case their clubs went bankrupt, and the strike action disrupted the first week of the Spanish season. Players including Ikechukwu Uche
Ikechukwu Uche
Ikechukwu Uche is a Nigerian footballer who plays for Granada CF on loan from Villarreal CF, as a striker.He spent most of his professional career in Spain, having arrived in the country before the age of 20.-Early years:...
came out to the media to discuss why they were going on strike.
On 25 August, it was announced that talks between the Liga de Futbol Profesional (LFP) and Association of Spanish Footballers had reached a resolution, and that league football would resume the next weekend.
United States
Members of the MLS Players UnionMajor League Soccer Players Union
The Major League Soccer Players Union, also referred to as MLS Players Union or MLSPU, is the union of professional Major League Soccer players. The Players Union serves as the exclusive collective bargaining representative for all current players in MLS.-History:The Major League Soccer Players...
voted for a strike to delay the start of the 2010 Major League Soccer season
2010 Major League Soccer season
The 2010 Major League Soccer season was the 98th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer, the 32nd with a national first-division league, in the United States and Canada, and the 15th in MLS history. It began on March 25 at Seattle's Qwest Field with Seattle Sounders FC defeating the expansion...
, as scheduled for March 2010. The main issues for the players related to guaranteed contracts and freedom of transfer. The season commenced as planned when the dispute was settled five days before the first game.