Matildas legends Melissa Barbieri and Kim Carroll were announced as Life Members of Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) on Wednesday, while Brisbane Roar and Matildas midfielder Tameka Yallop was elected to the group’s Executive.
The former Matildas players joined former A-League stars Carl Valeri, Rodrigo Vargas, Alex Brosque, and Mile Jedinak in receiving Life Membership, all of whom where named alongside their Matildas counterparts at the union’s Annual General Meeting.
Melbourne City goalkeeper and assistant coach Barbieri – who captained the Matildas to the side’s 2010 AFC Asian Women’s Cup victory – won 86 caps for Australia, and represented her nation at four FIFA Women’s World Cups, as well the 2004 and 2008 Olympic football tournaments.
In addition to her half-century of Matildas appearances and 2010 AFC Asian Women’s Cup winners medal, Perth defender Carroll notched her 100th W-League appearance last season, having also won both the Double in 2008-09 and the Championship in 2011 with Brisbane.
Yallop, who joins Carroll, Elise Kellond-Knight, and Lydia Williams as W-League representatives on the PFA Executive, said she was looking forward to getting started in her new role in the player union.
“I’m very excited about joining the PFA Executive. I’ve always wanted to be involved in the off-field side of the game and be able to have as much positive influence as possible,” she said.
“The PFA does a lot of work behind the scenes that most people don’t know about so I’m excited to give back to the game and the future of Aussie football.”
The PFA – which now represents over 700 players based both locally and overseas – also released its 2019 Annual Report. The report describes the union’s major achievements over the past year, including a new record membership total, significant contributions to the recently announced National Teams Collective Bargaining Agreement, and the group’s advocacy for refugee footballer Hakeem al-Araibi.
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