The United States (US) women’s football have settled their equal pay lawsuit against US Soccer Federation (USSF) for a total of $24 million, the two parties confirmed on Tuesday, 22 February.
The 28 players from the squad had filed a discrimination lawsuit in March 2019. A few months later, the USWNT went on to win their fourth World Cup title when they defeated the Netherlands in the finals.
The footballers will receive $24 million and USSF has committed to equal pay for both the men’s and women’s teams, across competitions, including the World Cup. The players will receive a lump sum amount of $22 million, which will then be distributed in a manner proposed by the USWNT players and approved by the district court.
The USSF will also pay an additional $2 million into an account to benefit the USWNT players in their post-career goals and charitable efforts related to women's and girls' soccer. All the players involved will be able to apply for up to $50,000 from this fund.
However, the matter will be fully solved, according to the players, only after a new collective bargaining agreement is ratified by the USWNT. After that is done, the final approval of the settlement by the district court will be scheduled.
The road to this monumental day came with its share of bumps as well, with the equal pay portion of the lawsuit dismissed at one point, forcing the players to appeal. Initially, the USWNT were seeking $66.7 million in back pay. The players had filed the lawsuit in 2019 accusing the USSF of "institutionalized gender discrimination" toward the team and the opinion against the USSF picked up steam in 2020, when some documents were made public. The backlash resulted in then-USSF president Carlos Cordeiro being replaced with current chief Cindy Parlow Cone. Both, mind you, are running for the post of USSF president, in an election that will take place on 5 March.
One of the points of contention was the bonus structures. For the men’s team, making the World Cup would fetch a player $67,000 while the women took home $37,500. Winning the World Cup would net each male player $407,608, whereas a woman would make $110,000.
The men’s team have played the World Cup 10 times with their best finish being third in 1930, while the women’s team is more successful in comparison. The women’s team have won the Olympic Gold five times.
Feeling Valued & Respected
One of the mainstays in the USWNT, Alex Morgan was understandably delighted at the news, calling it an “incredible day.”
The two-time World Cup winner added: "This is just such a monumental step forward in feeling valued, feeling respected and just mending our relationship with US Soccer that's really been full of tension. It's great to take that step forward. I not only see this as a win for our team or women in sport but for women in general."
Her teammate Megan Rapinoe added, "I think we're going to look back on this day and say this is the moment that US Soccer changed for the better. Something like this is never going to happen again and we can move forward in making soccer the best sport we possibly can in this country and setting up the next generation so much better than we ever had it."
Morgan and Rapinoe were among five senior members of the team who had initially filed a complaint against the USSF for wage discrimination in 2016.
In a joint statement on Tuesday, USSF and USWNT said: "We are pleased to announce that, contingent on the negotiation of a new collective bargaining agreement, we will have resolved our longstanding dispute over equal pay and proudly stand together in a shared commitment to advancing equality in soccer."
"Getting to this day has not been easy. The USWNT players have achieved unprecedented success while working to achieve equal pay for themselves and future athletes.
"Today, we recognize the legacy of the past USWNT leaders who helped to make this day possible, as well as all of the women and girls who will follow."
(With Inputs from ESPN and BBC.)
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