US Soccer Federation offers identical contract proposals to men's and women's teams
The USSF says the offer of a single equal pay structure is "the best path forward"; United States Women's National Team Players Association describe proposal as "PR stunt"; In May 2020, a lawsuit from women's team demanding equal pay was dismissed by a judge, with an appeal pending
Wednesday 15 September 2021 20:21, UK
The US Soccer Federation has offered identical contracts to the player associations of the men's and women's national teams in an attempt to resolve its gender pay dispute.
In 2019, players from the women's team put their names to a lawsuit against the USSF over equal pay and working conditions.
In May last year, the claim for equal pay was thrown out by a judge, and an appeal was subsequently launched.
The USSF said in a statement: "US Soccer firmly believes that the best path forward for all involved, and for the future of the sport in the United States, is a single pay structure for both senior national teams.
"This proposal will ensure that USWNT and USMNT players remain among the highest paid senior national team players in the world, while providing a revenue sharing structure that would allow all parties to begin anew and share collectively in the opportunity that combined investment in the future of US Soccer will deliver over the course of a new CBA."
However, the United States Women's National Team Players Association (USWNTPA) described the proposal as a "PR stunt".
"USSF's PR stunts and bargaining through the media will not bring us any closer to a fair agreement," the USWNTPA said on Twitter.
"In contrast, we are committed to bargaining in good faith to achieve equal pay and the safest working conditions possible. The proposal that USSF made recently to us does neither."
The USSF also said the federation was calling upon the players and both player associations to join it in "finding a way to equalise FIFA World Cup prize money between the USMNT and the USWNT".
"US Soccer will not agree to any collective bargaining agreement that does not take the important step of equalising FIFA World Cup prize money," it said.
FIFA offered prize money of $30 million (£23.4m) to the teams in the 2019 Women's World Cup, while the men took home $400 million (£312m) in 2018.
The United States have won the Women's World Cup four times in its 30-year history, including the most recent two editions.
