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Williamson ‘wouldn’t rule out’ strike over scheduleImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Leah Williamson has led England to back-to-back European titlesByEmma Sanders
England captain Leah Williamson says she would “never rule out” strike action to get players’ messaging across to governing bodies about schedule concerns.
Williamson, 28, missed five months with injury following England’s victory at Euro 2025 as she recovered from knee surgery.
She returned to action at the start of December, helping Arsenal win the Women’s Champions Cup in February, and was selected for this month’s World Cup qualifiers.
Williamson is one of several big-name players who are still returning to full fitness following England’s success in Switzerland, alongside Chelsea’s Lucy Bronze.
Speaking before England’s game against Ukraine next Tuesday, Williamson was asked about the potential causes of injury and, hypothetically, if the players would be willing to strike to get governing bodies’ attentions.
“We’ll never know for sure but I don’t think people argue against the scheduling for fun. There’s reasons behind it,” stated Williamson.
“If you listen to the players’ group, of course we want to play all the time, but the more successful you are – and this team has been very successful – then the less rest you have and the higher risk of injury there is. It’s an accumulation.
“The players, I’m sure, would love to just turn up and play football, but we use our voice and we try to get involved in conversations with the hierarchy so that they at least have our perspective. Whether they listen to it or not, is out of our control.”
Players’ union FifPro released a report, external in November saying that last year was the first time since it started collecting data in 2020 that the top 15 players in the world had all played 50 games or more in a season.
England midfielder Keira Walsh previously urged governing bodies to “listen to the players” about the congested fixture schedule.
Asked whether Williamson would consider more drastic action, such as players striking, she stated: “I’ve not had any conversations about this right now, but if a group of people don’t feel like they’re getting listened to, then history suggests that’s the only way they can be heard.
“I would never take it off the table. I don’t think that’s where we are now. I think we’re still in a place where we can collaborate, listen and educate.”
Williamson also revealed players have been “forthcoming” with providing stakeholders with training load and female health data.
“It’s mainly around the rest periods and trying to get all governing bodies to align. It always sounds like we’re asking for a holiday, but that’s not the case,” she added.
“I’m a professional footballer and part of my job is also to rest, which I’m encouraged to do so by my managers and the environments we play in.
“So why is that not prioritised when we’re left to our own devices?”
The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) stated that, while the women’s game is “going through a period of intense change” that “innovation and calendar expansion cannot come at the expense of player welfare, or we risk repeating mistakes that have already been made in the men’s game”.
“Players do not raise the possibility of strike action lightly,” it stated.
“It becomes a last resort when genuine engagement and meaningful consultation are absent.”
The PFA is part of a joint legal action, along with the French and Italian players’ unions, against world governing body Fifa over the “overloaded and unworkable” football calendar.
“We are seeing the defined season disappear, with players expected to move seamlessly between domestic and international competitions across what is effectively a year-round calendar,” stated the PFA.
“That has consequences for performance, recovery, mental wellbeing and career longevity.”
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