Women's national team calls for equal pay amid Canada Soccer fiasco
Canada Soccer is finding itself at the forefront of equal pay discussions among its two largest national teams.
On the heels of an open letter from the men’s team explaining issues with the national federation following the cancellation of a friendly match against Panama, the players of the Canadian women’s national team have released an open letter of their own, requesting equal pay as the men’s team in a new agreement with Canada Soccer.
“We have been clear throughout these discussions (and before) that we are seeking an agreement with Canada Soccer that will provide equal pay to members of our team relative to the Men’s National Team,” the letter said. “The Women’s National Team will not accept an agreement that does not offer equal pay.”
A statement from the Canadian Women’s National Team players: pic.twitter.com/JHqkm3iiXr
— CanadianSoccerPlayers (@PlayersCanadian) June 6, 2022
Much of the reason for the players speaking out stems from a 10-year agreement made by Canada Soccer with private company Canadian Soccer Business (CSB) inked in 2018. CSB operates the broadcasting, media, and corporate partnership rights of the national teams, along with other business assets related to Canada Soccer. CSB also owns and operates the Canadian Premier League, the Tier 1 domestic professional men’s soccer league that debuted in 2019.
“We are proud of our agreement with Canada Soccer and what it means to the Canadian soccer ecosystem. We are prepared to be fully transparent about our agreement which has included an unprecedented amount of revenue to Canada Soccer in the past 18 months in the forms of sponsorship and international media dollars,” said Scott Mitchell, president of CSB. “We fully support the Men’s and Women’s National Team players in a call for transparency from Canada Soccer.”
The United States women’s national team recently came to an agreement for pay equivalent to the men’s national team this past may that runs through 2028. The Canadian women state they have been negotiating since January for a new contract of their own.
The full statement from the Canadian women’s team reads as follows:
The Women’s National Team has been bargaining in good faith with Canada Soccer since January 29, 2022. We have been clear throughout these discussions (and before) that we are seeking an agreement with Canada Soccer that will provide equal pay to members of our team relative to the Men’s National Team. The Women’s National Team will not accept an agreement that does not offer equal pay.
On Friday, Canada Soccer tabled a proposal to both the Men’s and Women’s National Teams. We continue to review that proposal despite not yet having the benefit of all the information that we have asked Canada Soccer to provide regarding its financials, including with respect to its agreement with Canada Soccer Business. However, the Women’s National Team believes that the CSA’s most recent proposal represents a positive step toward pay equity between the Men’s and Women’s Teams, and one that provides a basis for further negotiations with the CSA.
We are happy to hear that the Men’s National Team is asking Canada Soccer for “[an] equitable structure with our women’s national team”. However, to be clear, the Women’s National Team does not view equal FIFA percentages as between our respective teams as equal pay.
We look forward to working with both Canada Soccer and the Men’s National Team towards a deal that offers true pay equity and that advances the sport of soccer in Canada, for the benefit of all of us.
The players of the Canadian Women’s National Team
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