England Women have been “empowered” by their decision to take their pay dispute with the FA public, according to defender Lucy Bronze.
On Tuesday, four days ahead of their Women’s World Cup opener with Haiti, a statement signed by all 24 England squad members was released by captain Millie Bright, expressing “disappointment” at a long-running disagreement between the Lionesses and the association over bonus payments to cover the competition.
Sarina Wiegman’s players will be paid their tournament prize money directly by FIFA for the first time, whereas previously the payment was given to the FA and then distributed as they saw fit.
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Though this figure eclipses any previous total awarded by football’s global governing body for a World Cup, there is frustration it is not being topped up by England’s own employers given the success they have enjoyed in recent years and the contribution they have made to the standing of women’s football in the country.
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England’s Lucy Bronze speaks out on pay issues within the women’s game and how the players have a sense of empowerment in changing the circumstances.
Discussions have been ongoing since the end of 2022, but more than six months on are still at an impasse.
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In the letter, the Lionesses said they were pausing talks to focus on the tournament but had “full intentions” of resuming dialogue once their World Cup campaign is over. Speaking nearly 24 hours after it was sent public, Bronze said it had left her and her team-mates feeling stronger ahead of their World Cup opener.
She said: “I think the players are feeling very empowered. I think it’s the first time as a player group we’ve actually ever sent the message out ourselves, that we’ve collectively done together and set our sights on. So I think in that respect it’s been a very empowered player group last night and this morning and these past few weeks.
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“I feel like we felt it was important that we sent the message out, because there has been some talks (and) we want to show that we’re focused for the World Cup, that is our main focus.
“It’s super sad that we have these issues. I think that again, this was something that we spoke about as an England group. We’re not only doing this for ourselves, we’re doing it so that we can set a standard.”
Bronze too pointed to the impact the Lionesses have had on the domestic game in England, where top-flight women’s attendances rose by nearly 200 per cent year-on-year in the wake of their Euro 2022 success last year.
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Ahead of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, Australia’s squad have criticised the gender disparity in prize money and have called on FIFA to commit to making it equal to the men’s.
In addition to the pay dispute, the England Women squad are understood to be unhappy about FA demands over restrictions on their own commercial sponsorships, which they have been forced to put on hold for the World Cup, and what cut of any collective deals they will receive from the association.
She added: “There’s constantly another level and another step you can take. Whether that’s commercially – or on or off the pitch. Whether that’s performance-based, it’s being rewarded for the things you have done.
“We are the European Champions. We have changed the game massively in England, so we want everything to fall in line. If we are going to do well on the pitch, then you would expect things to follow.”
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Why are the Lionesses so unhappy with the FA?
Sky Sports News’ Anton Toloui in Australia:
“The players have been in talks with the FA going back to last year. They’re unhappy not just about bonus payments but also commercial payments about what they can earn around being England players.
“I want to add a couple of lines from a long and strong statement from PFA chief executive Maheta Molango, who says it’s a ‘massive mistake to underestimate the genuine strength of player feelings on this issue’.
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England striker Alessia Russo sits down with David Beckham at an Adidas shoot ahead of the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
“He concludes by saying, ‘there will always be consequences when players feel like they’re having to come back issue by issue to push for parity and progress. It doesn’t need to be like this’.
“This is an issue that is causing a little bit of concern among the players. You can see it two ways – we all know the way the players are paid has changed, and for the first time it’s from a FIFA prize pot.
“That has gone up – the players will earn £24,000 if they go out in the group stages and it will increase incrementally depending on how they do in the tournament, to £213,000 if they win the World Cup
“But, from their point of view, the players are thinking ‘hang on a minute, this is from FIFA, we have done so much for the game here and why isn’t any of the money coming directly from the FA?’
“The FA’s view is that the prize money is up four times from what it was in 2019, and a pretty good settlement – but the players are also frustrated at not being able to get involved in commercial activity, which they’ve had to stop since they went into camp.
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Sarina Wiegman says England fans should be excited about the team’s potential at the World Cup, insisting they are ‘ready to go’.
“They’re also a little bit annoyed they wanted this resolved before the World Cup, which hasn’t happened. It’s a tournament of a lifetime for so many players, but here we are – negotiations going on while the players have been in camp.”
Wiegman exclusive: We dream of World Cup win
As Sarina Wiegman sits by the pool in the bright Australian sun, there’s only one thing on her mind – winning the World Cup.
“You never know. We came here with a dream and that’s what we go for,” Wiegman tells Sky Sports with a smile at England’s pre-tournament base on the Sunshine Coast.
“England has done well in former tournaments and yes, we want to win every game.”
Read more from Anton Toloui’s exclusive feature with the England manager here.
When and where is the 2023 Women’s World Cup?
This year’s tournament will be held in Australia and New Zealand, making it the first-ever co-hosted Women’s World Cup.
The tournament starts on July 20, with the final taking place on August 20 in Sydney at the Accor Stadium.
The USA are the defending champions and are looking to become the first team in the competition’s history to win the tournament three times in a row.
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