US women’s soccer makes history through equal pay deal

Chicago, US, May 20 (EFE).- American soccer took a step forward this week and penned a landmark agreement between the US Soccer Federation (USSF) and members of the men’s and women’s teams to guarantee equal pay and shared distribution of World Cup prizes and income.

Female soccer players had been chasing equal conditions for years in the US, led by superstars from the national team Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, who in 2016 filed a dispute with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) over salary discrimination.

On Wednesday, the USSF announced the first collective bargaining agreement that will guarantee equal pay and establish new standards.

Becca Roux, director of the US Women’s National Team Players Association, told reporters at a press conference that if a group of players had not dared to launch a dispute against their employer, the landmark agreement would never have materialized.

“This is a truly historic moment,” USSF President Cindy Parlow Cone added. “These agreements have changed the game forever here in the United States and have the potential to change the game around the world.”

The agreement was signed by the USSF and the American players’ associations and expires in 2028.

It guarantees equal pay and conditions, paid maternity leave and health insurance coverage, and pledges to equalize FIFA prize money.

No other football federation currently matches the earnings of their men’s and women’s national teams for playing in World Cup tournaments.

The equal distribution of commercial income has long been a dream of female US soccer players who have in recent years outstripped their male counterparts in international tournaments by clinching four World Cups (1991, 1999, 2015 and 2019).EFE

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