England men’s and women’s teams have received equal pay since January

The FA have disclosed that England’s men’s and women’s internationals now receive equal pay. 

Since January this year, the Lionesses have been paid the same match fees and match bonuses as their male counterparts – equating to £1,500 per player if England win a game, a fee which the men have long since donated to charity. 

It is a small pay rise for the women and a progressive step from the FA, who have followed the likes of Brazil, Australia, New Zealand and Norway in paying their men and women the same. 

The FA has confirmed that England’s men’s and women’s team now receive equal pay

However, there is still gender pay disparity due to commercial income and prize money

England women have also received central contracts from the FA since 2009, and those deals were restructured two years ago so top players can earn up to £30,000, on top of their club salaries. 

However, there remains a huge gender disparity in the overall earnings of England’s international players because of commercial income and prize money. 

Phil Neville’s Lionesses each stood to take home £50,000 had they won the 2019 World Cup, but Gareth Southgate’s side would have banked £217,000-a-man had they triumphed in Russia in 2018. 

They would’ve got £50,000 if they won the World Cup, while the men would’ve won £217,000

That is because of the discrepancy in the prize money awarded to the winners of the two World Cups. France received £23.4million when they won in 2018, but the USA only got £3.1m last year. 

England women do also not receive the same treatment as the men in terms of travel. 

Last year, they were forced to take a commercial flight to the Nice for the start of the World Cup, while England’s Under-21s men’s side used a private jet to get to the Euros Italy in the same summer. 

The Lionesses also travelled on an EasyJet plane to get to a game in Portugal last October and were again in premium economy when they jetted out to America for the SheBelieves Cup this March. 

England’s women also do not receive the same treatment as the men when it comes to travel

That competition in the States was the first time the women received the new match fees and bonuses and those three games are the only ones they have played this year. 

Despite introducing equal pay in January, the FA did not announce it at the time as they thought it was a change which was long overdue and was not something to trumpet. 

England women’s next match is a friendly away to Germany on October 27. Another game, potentially against Norway, is also being lined up.