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Raising Our Game in Australia: Equal pay deal for Matildas

Employment Market Women Player story

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Professional Footballers Australia recently negotiated a landmark equal pay and conditions for the women’s national team following years of tough negotiations.

This is part of a five-part ‘Raising Our Game’ series on how player unions are helping to advance women’s football around the world.

Angela Collins, the player union's legal director, drafted the accord which was signed by the Australian football federation in late 2019 following almost a decade of bargaining.

“We’re really proud as a union of what we’ve been able to achieve,” Collins said. “In terms of gender equality, we don’t just have pay equality, we’ve also been able to achieve equal conditions for our players.’’

Angela Collins, Legal Director of Professional Footballers Australia

Whereas in the past the Australian women’s national team sat in economy-class seats for long-haul flights, from now on they will travel business class – like the men’s national team.

“The players are really appreciative of what we’ve done for them,” Collins said.

Australia is one of only a few of the 210 national federations to give men and women’s national teams equal pay and conditions.