Wales To Pay Male And Female International Footballers Equally

A record equal pay agreement has been announced by the Football Association of Wales (FAW) for the men’s and women’s national teams.

Welsh senior national team players will receive the same pay for representing their nation for the first time ever under a historic agreement that will continue until 2027.

To make the deal possible, all of the males on Rob Page’s side unanimously agreed to accept a pay decrease of 25% in exchange for a pay increase of 25% for the women.

The men’s and women’s teams issued the following joint statement: “Together Stronger has been the mantra across the Cymru (Wales) national teams for us all, both on and off the pitch as we look to put Wales on the world stage.

“We hope that this will allow future generations of boys and girls to see that there is equality across Welsh international football, which is important for society as a whole.

“With this agreement in place, we will now look ahead to the Euro 2024 and 2025 qualifying campaigns, as we aim to see further success across both our senior teams in the near future.”

Wales now pays the same amount for men and women to play in international matches, joining England, the USA, Australia, Brazil, Norway, and New Zealand in doing so.

The announcement was made as a result of FAW chief executive Noel Mooney’s talks with Wales women’s captain Sophie Ingle, record-holder Jess Fishlock, and record-scorer Helen Ward, following more than a year of meetings.

Gemma Grainger, director of Wales Women, said to the BBC: “I am really happy about the equal pay, it is about equality. We want our players to embody Together Stronger, the collaboration with the men’s team is something we want to continue.

“Hopefully, that collaboration will continue to grow. Equality and making sure what we have here is equal is so important to us. The women’s game is growing and will continue to grow.”

Noel Mooney added: “The FAW is a modern, progressive movement that seeks to improve each day. This is another step towards becoming one of the world’s great sports organisations and we thank both the men’s and women’s squads for their brilliant cooperation in getting this agreed.”