State of Origin 2021: Pay win for Queensland Maroons women’s team
The QRL would like to have the men’s and women’s players receive equal State of Origin payments — and has taken a step towards that goal.
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The Queensland Rugby League is working towards delivering women’s State of Origin players equal pay after doubling match fees for this year’s clash against the Blues.
The Maroons women’s team will receive a total of about $8500 to feature in the June 25 clash against NSW at Sunshine Coast Stadium.
It is still well short of the $15,000 the men’s Origin players receive in each of three-game series, which is generally Australia’s highest-rating television programs of the year.
For the first time, the QRL this year named a 32-player extended Maroons squad that is paid to train in the lead-up to the Origin clash.
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The reduced squad will then enter a 10-day camp in the lead-up to the clash, which they will also be paid for, and the final 18 will receive a match fee for the game.
The maximum they can earn will be about double of what the players received last year, a significant increase but still short of the men’s payments.
The men took a 50 per cent pay cut last year following the COVID restructure to appear in State of Origin, reducing their match fees from $30,000 to $15,000.
The QRL would like to have the men’s and women’s players receive equal payments one day and is committed to rewarding the growing women’s side of the game.
“The women play a very large role in our whole Origin campaign,” QRL chairman Bruce Hatcher said.
“Our revenue comes from grants from the NRL and our own sourced revenue from partnerships with leading businesses.
“We budget everything and when we think something is worthwhile we put it into our budget.
“It goes through a rigorous process and we felt it was time to support them.
“It’s such an important part of the game.”
Originally published as State of Origin 2021: Pay win for Queensland Maroons women’s team
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