Australia’s women’s soccer team, the Matildas, have taken to the internet to collectively call out the poor financial equality that exists in the sport.
For reference, the Matildas are about to take part in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which is being held in Australia and New Zealand. The women’s prize money has been set at around $110 million (approx. AUD $160 million), while the men’s prize money last year sat at $440 million (approx. AUD $643 million).
That means that the women are given a quarter of the financial support male soccer players are given, and our athletes have had enough of it.
Released through their association, Professional Footballers Australia, the video heroes 23 World Cup players, talking about the many ways in which female soccer (and sport in general) is undervalued and under-resourced, and how their campaigning has won them increasing rights and financial support over time.
“We stand on the shoulders of giants who have paved the way to afford the opportunities we have now,” the video begins, referencing that Australia first qualified for the Women’s World Cup in 1995. It wasn’t until 2007 that women were first awarded prize money for playing in the cup, 25 years after the men.
They continue, “FIFA will still only offer women one quarter as much prize money as men, for the same achievement.
“And our sisters in the A-league Women’s are still pushing for football to be a full-time career, so that they don’t have to work part-time jobs like we had to.”
The players band together to call on business, politicians, and sporting associations to join them in campaigning for better resourcing for women’s sport. They also asked the public to attend A-league games, to support the next generation of Matildas coming up through the ranks.
The video finishes, “We’ll do everything we can to make the country proud when we take the field, and also, to leave the shirt in a better place for those who follow in our footsteps. This is our legacy.”
While it’s glaringly obvious that there is a huge gap between the financial support of women and women playing World Cup soccer, FIFA has pledged parity between the genders by 2027.
Meanwhile, the International Cricket Council has just confirmed that female cricketers will receive the same money as male cricketers at all major events, effective immediately. This decision was made far in advance of the original goal, to reach parity by 2030.
It is hoped that the buzz generated from the upcoming World Cup, will convince FIFA that investing in their women’s teams is both a smart financial move and the right thing to do, even if it does come at this very late stage.
Watch The Video Here:
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