Equality And Diversity In Women’s Professional Football Is Improving

Friday, December 10, 2021

England’s Women’s football team are now getting the same appearance fees as the Men

Equality in sports seems to be catching up, with Tennis and Football starting to pave the way with similar prize money and appearance fees.

Recently the Football Association has revealed that it pays women the same appearance money as men when they play for England.

Last week at the Women’s FA Cup final, Chelsea’s win against Arsenal attracted 40,942 fans at Wembley and the match was watched by 1.3m people on BBC One.

On Wednesday, the Brazilian football federation joined Australia, Norway, and New Zealand in publicly committing to equal pay.

Parity on match fees and bonuses for games outside major tournaments has been in place since January, the FA said, in response to a question whether it would follow Brazil in paying male and female players the same for a senior international cap.

Ireland’s football association (FAI) has also announced that men’s and women’s teams will receive equal pay.

Many football clubs across the UK, now have both male and female professional teams regularly playing every week.

However, so far, no UK club has adopted equal pay.

Pay in the Women’s Super League, England’s top tier, has increased markedly but whereas leading players can earn up to £200,000 a year, salaries start at approximately £20,000.

Such wages are dwarfed by the pay senior male internationals receive.

The average Premier League salary was put at more than £3m by the Global Sports Salary Survey last December, and many England players earn substantially more.

Diversity still has a way to go

Black football manager Hope Powell, wants more action to tackle the shortage of black and minority ethnic coaches at the highest levels of women’s football.

The Brighton and Hove Albion chief is concerned by the lack of diversity in Lionesses squads.

Powell said, “I am one of only two managers of colour in the topflight in the women’s game.

“It makes me wonder if this is down to opportunity or if it’s about experience and qualifications.

“But there are more and more females getting qualified, so is this about opportunities? This is something that needs to be looked at and addressed.

“In the men’s game, the amount of people of colour that you see on the pitch doesn’t quite translate to off the pitch in those leadership roles.

“The Diversity Code has been brought in to play by the FA to try and address that. How effective this will be is a matter of time.”

Last Sunday was the 100th anniversary of the Football Association’s ban of women’s football in England- a ban that lasted 50 years.

How things have changed when in 2021 both Wembley and the broadcasters realise that women’s football is now big business