England Women captain Leah Williamson has added her voice to the growing concerns around player welfare, admitting she would not completely rule out strike action if footballers feel their health continues to be compromised by intense schedules and inadequate rest.
Williamson, who recently returned to international duty after knee surgery, made the comments ahead of England’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine and Iceland. Her remarks come amid a period of heightened scrutiny around fixture congestion, following a spate of injuries within England Women after their triumphant Euro 2025 campaign in Switzerland under head coach Sarina Wiegman.
Speaking at a press conference, Williamson stressed that players are not seeking to reduce opportunities to compete, but rather to protect their long-term wellbeing. “Ultimately, we all want to play football; nobody wants any games, years, seasons to be taken away from them, tournaments especially,” she said.
“But across men’s and women’s football, I think the possibility for growth in the game just never seems to end. And the money that’s on the table for everybody involved, we’ll benefit from that too. There has to be a balance and I would never rule out further action from the players because if it needed to happen for people to protect themselves, I wouldn’t blame anybody.”
When asked directly whether such action could include a strike, Williamson made clear that while no discussions are currently underway, the option remains open if players feel ignored.
“I’ve not had any conversations about this right now. But if a group of people doesn’t feel like they’re getting listened to then history suggests that that’s the only way they can get heard, so I’d never take it off the table. I just don’t think that’s where we are now. I think we’re still in a phase where we can all collaborate and listen and educate.”
The 28-year-old missed several matches following England’s Euros success, sitting out a friendly defeat to Brazil and wins over China, Ghana, and Australia as she continued her recovery.
Williamson explained that the issue of scheduling is rooted in performance demands rather than complaint. “Scheduling, I don’t think people argue against it for fun,” she said. “The more successful you are, the less rest you have and the higher risks of injuries. The facts are there with the players.
I just think it’s an accumulation and when we look ahead, the players, sure we’d all love to just turn up and play football, but we do use our voice and we do try and get involved in the conversations with the hierarchy so they at least have our perspective.”
Williamson made her return to club football on December 13, coming off the bench in Women’s Super League as Arsenal Women defeated Everton 3-1. She added that the core concern lies in recovery time rather than reduced workloads.
“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, and that’s not the case.”
England will face Ukraine in Antalya, Turkey next Tuesday, a neutral venue chosen due to the ongoing war, before hosting Iceland at a sold-out City Ground in Nottingham four days later.
