THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
In an unprecedented move it was finally agreed this past week that the men's and women's USA national soccer teams will get equal pay. This happened during the associations' joint collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) and was officially signed off. The campaign for equality has been led by the USWNT, due to their repeated success at the highest level. With the Men's team gaining a place at the World Cup in Qatar later this year, it was time to sit down and thrash out a new deal.
The pay at the top level was weighted extremely in the men's favour. The latest example being that the bonus for this Winter's tournament was $440m, whereas the following year in Australia, the Women's tournament offered $60m. With this is mind, and with the CBA, due it was a perfect storm, and one that had to be challenged. The new agreement will see both unions put their share into one large pot that will be shared equally amongst both. In addition, ticket sales, and win bonuses will also be distributed equally. The only thing not on the table is the $2.5m already claimed by the USMNT for qualifying for Qatar, as this was already in place from the previous deal.
This new deal runs through to 2028, and has other guarantees such as equality in venues, hotels, and charter flights. The men's team will now get childcare benefits. It really is a win-win across the board. This comes off the back of the February 2021 settlement of $24 million, after a six year long legal battle over equality.
Becky Sauerbrunn, a player and president of the United States Women's National Team Players Association was happy with the new arrangement: "The accomplishments in this CBA are a testament to the incredible efforts of WNT players on and off the field. We hope that this agreement and its historic achievements in not only providing for equal pay but also in improving the training and playing environment for national team players will similarly serve as the foundation for continued growth of women's soccer both in the United States and abroad."
The current president of the United States Soccer Federation, former player Cindy Parlow Cone, praised the way both unions came together, "US Soccer and the USWNT and USMNT players have reset their relationship with these new agreements and are leading us forward to an incredibly exciting new phase of mutual growth and collaboration as we continue our mission to become the pre-eminent sport in the United States."
Walker Zimmerman, a defender in the USMNT knew the decision wasn't one that could happen overnight, but could see the right steps being taken, "There are tough conversations, but at the end of the day, it's the right thing to do. It's something that the US Women's players deserve. It's something that they have fought for so hard, and to be honest, sometimes it does feel like we had just kind of come alongside of them and had been a little late."
It has, for many people, been a long time coming, but the announcement this week was still very welcome, and hopefully it's just the start. The campaign may have just reached a pivot point, so those involved can't rest just yet. Will other nations follow suit? Only time will tell.
