Beyond the pitch: strategic action of the players’ union and the monopolised field of Czech football

In post-socialist contexts where players lack formal employee status, players’ associations face structural constraints and remain understudied in governance research. This article examines the contested position of the Czech Football Players’ Association (ČAFH) within the governance of Czech football. Using the strategic action field theory and drawing on qualitative interviews, document analysis, and social network analysis (SNA), it explores how the ČAFH emerged in response to transnational pressure from FIFPro and FIFA. The findings show that incumbents responded with strategies of co-optation, gatekeeping, and symbolic compliance in order to maintain their dominant position. SNA reveals the structural isolation of the ČAFH from national coalitions and its dependence on transnational support. The article demonstrates that in the absence of institutional access, marginal actors can adapt and persist through symbolic legitimacy and coalition building across overlapping governance fields, while remaining limited in their ability to initiate structural change.