United States women’s national soccer team (USWNT) and US Soccer have finally reached a settlement on equal pay. Women soccer players in the United States accepted a milestone agreement with the sport’s American governing body on Tuesday. The agreement was to resolve a six-year legal crusade over equal pay, accepting to get $24 million in addition to bonuses equal to those received by males.
The disagreement began in March 2019, when the USWNT launched a complaint against US Soccer for gender discrimination. The agreement will see the women’s and men’s national teams receive an equal rate of pay in all friendlies and tournaments, including the World Cup. The USSF and the women’s team attained an arrangement on Tuesday. US Soccer will pay $22 million to the players in the case, almost one-third of the damages they requested. The USSF has also approved setting up a $2 million fund to support players in their post-football careers. They also agreed to set up charitable work targeted at promoting the sport for women.
Equal pay for all the games now
Tuesday’s joint statement said, “We are pleased to announce that, contingent on the negotiation of a new collective bargaining agreement, we will have resolved our longstanding dispute over equal pay and proudly stand together in a shared commitment to advancing equality in soccer.”
“Getting to this day has not been easy,” the statement said. “The U.S. Women’s National Team players have achieved unprecedented success while working to achieve equal pay for themselves and future athletes. Today, we recognize the legacy of the past USWNT leaders who helped to make this day possible, as well as all of the women and girls who will follow. “
“Together, we dedicate this moment to them. We look forward to continuing to work together to grow women’s soccer and advance opportunities for young girls and women in the United States and across the globe,” the statement added.
After the players sign a new collective bargaining agreement with the federation, the contract will be finalized. Although the settlement is far less than the $66 million the team sought in their lawsuit, Megan Rapinoe, a member of the USWNT, proclaimed it as a victory. Rapinoe was one of the plaintiffs in the 2019 lawsuit against the USSF.
“We can’t go back and undo the injustices that we faced but the only justice coming out of this is that we know that something like this is never gonna happen again,” the winger said. The United States Women’s National Team is presently ranked first in the FIFA World Rankings. They’ve won four World Cups and four Olympic gold medals.
