The U.S. women’s national team (USWNT) reached an agreement on Tuesday with the sport’s American governing body over allegations that women soccer players are …
The U.S. women’s national team (USWNT) reached an agreement on Tuesday with the sport’s American governing body over allegations that women soccer players are paid less than their male counterparts, a settlement in which women are promised $24 million to match those of men. The deal stipulates that women players will have $22 million split among them—about one-third of the $66 million they had sought in damages—while $2 million will be added to a fund that will benefit players in their post-soccer careers and charitable efforts aimed at growing the sport for females. Each player will be able to apply for up to $50,000 from the fund. “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,” the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) and USWNT said in a joint statement on Tuesday. “[USWNT] players have achieved unprecedented success while working to achieve equal pay for themselves and future athletes,” it said, adding that “getting to this day has not been easy.
