Equal pay has come to soccer in the United States. Months after reaching a settlement in a lawsuit brought by many of the top women to play soccer for the United States, the U.S. Soccer Federation and the unions representing the women’s and men’s national teams have nailed down collective bargaining agreements in which the teams will be paid the same.
”I feel a lot of pride for the girls who are going to see this growing up, and recognize their value rather than having to fight for it. However, my dad always told me that you don’t get rewarded for doing what you’re supposed to do—and paying men and women equally is what you’re supposed to do,” U.S. forward Margaret Purce said. “So I’m not giving out any gold stars, but I’m grateful for this accomplishment and for all the people who came together to make it so.”
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Under the agreement, the women’s union projects that compensation for a player who has been under contract will increase from $245,000 in 2018 to $327,000 this year, a 34% increase, with average annual pay rising to $450,000 for a player making all rosters. That could be doubled in World Cup years, depending on results.
World Cup pay was a major sticking point since U.S. Soccer had been passing along the inequities in the money it gets from FIFA for international play. In 2018 and 2019, FIFA sent $400 million to the teams in the men’s World Cup and $30 million to the women’s teams. Now FIFA payments for the men’s and women’s World Cups will be pooled in the U.S.
“There were moments when I thought it was all going to fall apart and then it came back together and it’s a real credit to all the different groups coming together, negotiating at one table,” said Cindy Parlow Cone, the president of the U.S. Soccer Federation and a former national team player. “I think that’s where the turning point really happened. Before, trying to negotiate a CBA with the women and then turn around and negotiate CBA terms with the men and vice versa was really challenging. I think the real turning point was when we finally were all in the same room sitting at the same table, working together and collaborating to reach this goal.”