Praise the lady Lord! It has just been announced that Australian women’s national soccer team The Matildas have reportedly secured an equal pay deal to earn the same as Australia’s male team, The Socceroos.
ABC News reports that the Football Federation Australia has been in talks with the players’ union for months, and while the deal is yet to be finalised, it’s a ground-breaking step forward for women in sport.
Matildas captain Sam Kerr told Channel Seven, “Obviously, it’s a welcome investment into women’s football and we’re really excited about it.”
“It hasn’t been finalised so hopefully we can get the deal over the edge, but yeah, it’s exciting.”
The Matildas’ equal pay deal would make the team the first female team in world football to be guaranteed equal pay to their male counterparts.
The Matildas have had an epic couple of years. In 2017, they were named fourth in the world, and during the World Cup earlier this year, they reached the knockout stages and scored $1M.
The news of The Matildas’ win for equal pay comes just a few days after fellow female athlete, tennis player Ash Barty won a record-breaking $6.4 MILLION in prize money after defeating Elina Svitolina at the WTA Finals in Shenzhen.
It’s a huge win for Barty, and it’s more than any player – including greats like Roger Federer, Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal – has ever received from a single tournament.
Aussie women in sport are finally getting the attention and respect they deserve, and we can only hope The Matildas’ win sets the tone for gender pay equality in all disciplines around the world.