Women's football is on course to become a billion-dollar industry, but many professional players are still earning low wages, working on insecure contracts and experiencing rising psychological stress.
That is according to the findings of a new global survey of more than 800 footballers by the players' union Fifpro.
Players were asked why they might leave football early. The report stated 59% cited financial reasons, while psychological stress was another factor identified by 46% of respondents, up from 13% when Fifpro conducted its previous survey in 2017.
Alex Culvin, head of women's football at Fifpro, said there was no single explanation for the increase. She pointed to growing public exposure, financial insecurity and inadequate support systems as possible contributing factors.
"Players are now very visible," she said.
"Players are not only expected to be visible, but are obligated to be visible because of the low income to subsidise the lack of solid income they receive."
While awareness of mental health issues has improved, Culvin explained many players felt they were being left to cope alone.
"Players also reported, whilst having a higher psychological stress, that they didn't have the support they needed in a mental health sense, either at the club or internationally," she said.
In total, the report shows 57% of women who responded to the survey struggled with their mental health and half of them were not provided with support by their clubs.
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The report states that global revenue in the women's game is expected to rise from about $581m (£439m) in 2024 to over $1bn (£756m) in 2027.
It also highlights emerging psychological pressures facing professional women's footballers.
In an increasingly digital world, players are more accessible than ever through social media, bringing them closer to fans but also exposing them to online harassment and abuse.
The Fifpro survey suggested that although salaries, visibility and investment have risen significantly since 2017, much of the professional game still operates in precarious conditions.
For Culvin, the sport's commercial growth is not yet being matched by safeguards for the players driving it.
"The economic case for women's football has been made," she said.
"I think the institutional regulatory and policy case needs to catch up quickly to protect and enhance our women's players and enable them to perform maximally."
Players don't see themselves as 'professional'
One of the report's most striking findings is how players view their own professional status.
Under Fifa's definition, a professional player has a written contract and is paid more than the expenses incurred playing.
In the survey, 62% of players described themselves as professional, 27% selected semi-professional and 12% chose amateur.
All players in the survey were playing for clubs in the top tier of their country, yet only 78% reported having a written contract and 82% said they were paid by their club.
However, just 57% said that payment was enough to cover the costs of playing football.
"Players who are professional but don't see or feel themselves as professional are not receiving the full benefits of being an employee," Culvin said.
The report also highlights the limits of salary growth. Although mean average monthly earnings have tripled since 2017 to $2,601 (£1,970), the median salary is just $1,669 (£1,250).
Average monthly pay varies considerably by region, from $6,450 (£4,886) in North America and $3,982 (£3,016) in central/Western Europe, to $878 (£664) in Eastern Europe and just $480 (£363) in Africa.
While salaries have risen sharply in leagues such as those in the USA and Mexico, average pay in 10 Eastern European countries remains below the national minimum wage.
Even in regions such as Western Europe and Asia/Oceania that span some bigger football markets, average pay is not significantly higher than national minimum wage levels.
Fifpro was unable to provide average salaries per league as the report focused on regions rather than individual countries.
Short-term contracts and late payments
Average contract lengths have also increased from about one year in 2017 to 19 months, but many players still face periods without guaranteed income.
"Only two-thirds of players are paid for the whole 12 months," said Culvin.
"There's a lot of players who are on seven-month contracts, nine-month contracts, which means that they've got to work to make up the rest of the calendar year."
She believes the rapid commercial growth of women's football has helped to obscure some of these realities.
Despite the rapid growth of England's Women's Super League, Fifpro says conditions at the top of the game could obscure the reality for many players elsewhere.
Culvin warned the economic boom in women's football could "mask some of the realities that players face and actually endure on a day-to-day basis".
The report also found that 24% of players had experienced late payments over the past two seasons, while 42% were not provided with a pension.
'Wake-up call' is needed, says Culvin
Culvin argues there is a growing disconnect between expectations and reality.
"I think there's a wake-up call needed for the ecosystem, that our players are suffering and that there is not the kind of wraparound support and accountability that's needed for players," she said.
However, not all trends were negative.
One significant improvement being felt in the game concerns parenthood.
In 2017, nearly half of respondents said wanting a family could drive them out of football.
That figure has now fallen to 19%, which Fifpro attributes in part to maternity regulations that were introduced by Fifa in 2021 and updated two years ago.
"What we've concluded, which I think is incredibly important, is that targeted regulatory intervention works - maternity regulations were introduced in 2021," said Culvin.
The report highlights a widening divide within the women's game. The sport's elite clubs and players have benefited from investment and visibility, yet much of the global workforce remains vulnerable.
"You've got an industry that's very focused on the top 5% of players," Culvin said.
"But then what you've got is the rest, which is 95% of the industry who are not paid on time, who have short contracts. They don't get paid for 12 months - they are in incredibly vulnerable and precarious environments."
Despite that, Fifpro insists the solution is not to slow down growth but to ensure that commercial success and player welfare develop together.
"There doesn't need to be a choice for those between commercial growth and player protection," said Culvin.
"Those two things need to go hand in hand and work in tandem."
Her conclusion is clear.
"What we're saying is enough is enough and the industry needs to react to the players' needs and centralise the players' voice, ensure that players have a seat at the table when decisions that affect them are being made about them."
Ben Haines, Ellen White and Jen Beattie are back for another season of the Women's Football Weekly podcast. New episodes drop every Tuesday on BBC Sounds, plus find interviews and extra content from the Women's Super League and beyond on the Women's Football Weekly feed
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