After years of complaining about equal pay, the U.S. women’s national soccer team finally agreed to a new contract that includes equal pay for players.
The new collective bargaining agreements between the U.S. Soccer Federation, the U.S. Women’s National Team Players Association and the U.S. National Soccer Team Players Association run through 2028 “and achieve equal pay – including equalization of FIFA World Cup prize money- for our Women’s and Men’s senior National Teams,” U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone said in a statement Wednesday.
“This is a truly historic moment,” Cone continued. “In becoming the first federation in the world to solve the massive and vexing challenge of equalizing FIFA World Cup prize money, U.S. Soccer and our players have changed the game forever here at home, with the hopes of inspiring change around the world.”
Aside from equally splitting the World Cup prize money, the new agreement will create “identical” working conditions and financial components, such as appearance fees and game bonuses, commercial revenue share and prize money. (RELATED: US Soccer Feminists Are Still Oppressing Themselves)
In a historic accomplishment, U.S. Soccer, @USMNT and @USWNT have come together to agree to new collective bargaining agreements that will run through 2028 and achieve true equal pay – including equalization of World Cup prize money.
— U.S. Soccer (@ussoccer) May 18, 2022
The U.S. Women’s Soccer team has repeatedly complained about the lack of equal pay, even taking their fight to the courtroom. A judge dismissed an equal pay claim in 2020 after reminding the team they actually made more than the men’s team. The U.S. Women’s Soccer team sued for $66 million in damages over lack of equal pay, but the U.S. Soccer Federation argued the women’s team was paid more overall than their male counterparts for the particular time period in dispute.
The U.S. Soccer then offered the nation’s men’s and women’s teams identical contracts which were “not good enough,” according to the women’s national team forward Alex Morgan, Forbes reported.
In February several women’s soccer stars reached a $24 million settlement with the U.S. Soccer Federation after launching a lawsuit over unequal pay with the men’s team players. Per the settlement, U.S. Soccer would have to pay men and women an equal rate in the future for games and tournaments, including the World Cup, according to NBC News.