In the dispute over fairer pay, the women’s national team and Canada’s football association have agreed on a preliminary financing agreement for the past year. Both sides announced this in a statement. The terms would be similar to the men’s national team agreement, with per-game financial incentives and performance-based pay. Negotiations will continue on a new framework wage agreement with both national teams. The women will compete at the World Championships in Australia and New Zealand in July. The soccer players from Olympic champions Canada had threatened to boycott a training camp in April if there was no movement in the negotiations.
The team had repeatedly complained about canceled funds, outstanding payments and unequal treatment compared to the men. In the SheBelieves Cup, Canada only competed “under protest,” as captain Christine Sinclair pointed out. In the match against USA, the players wore purple T-shirts with the words “Enough is Enough” when the national anthems were played.
“This is about respect, this is about dignity, and this is about leveling the playing field in a world that is fundamentally unequal,” said association general secretary Earl Cochrane. Although this is “an important step forward”, there is “much more to do”. In the course of the dispute, association president Nick Bontis recently announced his resignation. According to Canadian media reports, he had previously been asked to do so in a letter by 13 presidents of provincial associations. The relationship between the association and the national teams has been strained for years.
