The deal, agreed on in principle and reportedly set to be finalised later this week, will see the Matildas and Socceroos evenly share 40 per cent of commercial revenue generated by both teams. Critically, prize money will also split evenly.
The game-changing deal, reached by the Football Federation Australia and the Professional Footballers Association union, will see the Matildas become the first women’s football team in the world to receive the same pay as their male counterparts.
As part of the new arrangement, the total share of revenue received by both the men’s and women’s teams will also rise from the current 30 per cent to 40 per cent.
According to the News Limited report, both the men’s and women’s players were committed to changing the pay structure, with ongoing negotiations taking place for months before an agreement was reached.
The Matildas have performed exceedingly well on the world stage in recent years, climbing as high as fourth in the world in 2017.
During the Women’s World Cup, they consistently delivered one exhilarating performance after another. Despite reaching the knockout stages, the Matildas banked a meager $1 million compared to the Socceroos, who failed to win a single game but pocketed $8 million for simply qualifying.
FIFA was heavily criticised during World Cup season for offering female players $540 million less in prize money than what was offered at the men’s World Cup.
The equal pay deal secured by the Matildas may also help the crusade of other national women’s football teams, including the US Women’s team, that have been fighting for pay parity for years.
The Matildas will play Chile at Bankwest Stadium in Sydney on Saturday in the first of two Tokyo Olympics qualifying tune-up games.