After years of fighting with the American football association, the national women’s team has forced them to earn as much as the male football players of the national team. The equal payment had been in the air for a while, as in September last year there was already the intention of the football association to make equal contract proposals for the men and women of the national team.
“We are pleased to announce that we have resolved our longstanding equal pay dispute,” the US Soccer Federation said in a statement. “We are proud of our joint commitment to promoting equality in football. It has not been easy to come to an agreement. The United States women’s soccer team has achieved unprecedented success as they strived for equal pay for themselves and the next generation of soccer players. We look forward to continuing to work together to grow women’s soccer and increase opportunities for young girls and women in the United States and around the world.”
“In the end we made it happen,” star player Megan Rapinoe, one of the champions of the equal pay battle, told TODAY† “For us as players, I’m just really proud of the way we stuck together and really kept our feet up. This is a big win for us.” The women’s national team will now receive the same salaries as the men’s national team in all friendlies and tournaments, including the World Cup.
In total, the American football players fought for equal pay for six years. The women’s team even went to court, but two years ago they rejected a $66 million claim. American media report that the national football association will pay the football players a total of 24 million dollars, converted more than 21 million euros, as compensation for missed income in recent years.
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