W-League, FFA and PFA unveil new pay deal for women’s soccer

Two years ago, the Matildas went on strike over pay. Yesterday a new era dawned for women’s soccer.

From left, W-League player Kim Carroll, FFA’s Emma Highwood, FFA chief executive David Gallop and PFA boss John Didulica.

Two years ago, almost to the month, Australia’s women soccer players were embroiled in a wage dispute that saw the Matildas go on strike for a better deal.

It was a bitter and nasty pay war that threatened to tear the women’s game apart.

But it was a fight that needed to be won by a group of dedicated women who had sacrificed so much in their desire to get a fair deal that went at least part of the way to helping them get something back for the many financial and personal sacrifices they had made for the game.

While it wasn’t a defining moment, the lessons of that dispute have obviously been heeded following yesterday’s landmark announcement that means W-League players will be properly remunerated for their services.

Under the new agreement brokered by Football Federation Australia, the W-League clubs and Professional Footballers Australia, some of the country’s elite players — those who combine playing in the W-League, overseas and with the Matildas — could earn up to $130,000 a season.

At W-League level, all players, other than those on a scholarship, are guaranteed a minimum retainer of at least $10,000 for the new season. That will go up to $12,200 for the 2018-19 season. Importantly, there will be no cap on any one player’s retainer. The average retainer for players will rise from almost $7000 to $15,500 this season.

Previously, many players in the W-League only received reimbursement of expenses, leaving them severely out of pocket and forced to rely on family and friends to help fund their aspiring soccer careers.

Financial considerations aside, there are a number of concessions that have been agreed to, including: contracting certainty; larger playing rosters; the salary cap per club will to increase from $150,000 (2016-17) to $300,000 this season and $350,000 in 2018-19; enhanced medical standards and the key principles for the first ever formal maternity policy for W-League players.

The agreement can also be seen as a shot across the bows of the women’s AFL competition, which kicked off this year and which is viewed, in some quarters, as a threat to women’s soccer in Australia.

FFA chief executive David Gallop hailed the agreement as “an important next step” for the W-League, although he admitted there is still more that needs to be done to bridge the gap to the professional men’s game in Australia.

“This is the start of a new era for professional female footballers in Australia,” Gallop said. “W-League players deserve this pay rise. They have been trailblazers for women’s sport in Australia and are about to enter their 10th season. We all share a determination to achieve gender equality in our sport and make it the most attractive option for female Australian athletes.”

PFA chief executive John Didulica said the agreement will “give players a clear voice and hopefully help them build a career as a professional footballer”.

“Having worked with the W-League players through this process, it has reinforced our view that they are central to the future and to the fabric of Australian football.”