Absurd. They train less (though no doubt train hard), they play fewer matches, they generate less interest, they generate less income. How are they entitled to equal pay? Same with womens tennis. Getting equal prize money at Wimbledon? They generate slightly less interest than the mens, less income for sponsors, they play fewer sets ffs, thats less entertainment!
Wasn’t it the American international women’s team? I’m sure they took a pasting off some under 16s or something.
The point is that men and women should expect equal pay for doing the same job FOR EQUAL VALUE. Mens football brings in much more revenue through attendances, TV audiences, sponsorship, advertising etc than womens football, therefore mens football has a higher value than women's, which is reflected in the pay difference. It's not putting women's down, but it's a fact of life. If it was the other way round I'd personally have no problem if womens football paid more than mens, but it isn't and they aren't. Personally I don't mind womens football, I've watched the England team on TV and been to a few SAFC ladies games, but a choice between a woman's or a man's game to me is a no brainer. To me this is just political correctness making an issue where really there isn't one and more likely to do damage to women's football than benefit it.
I think that it's quite simply about 'supply and demand' as in most businesses. If the demand's there the product will be appropriately supplied. Proper football has a massive demand and we're willing to pay for it, which leads to massive revenue from advertising, and footballers being paid stupid amounts of money for their services The demand certainly isn't, and never will be, there for women's football, therefore decent revenue from advertising never will be either, which makes the demands for equal pay (or even close) absolutely nonsensical.
Not against women's sport as such, back in the day I helped coach a women's rugby team. But unless England women's football reached a world cup or European final I do not watch it. At my grandkids primary school the boys and girls play football together. So the upcoming generations may well have a different viewpoint than a 68 year old curmudgeon. I quite like women's tennis. Mind at the grand slams should play best of 5.
Is there any chance of expansion of the company, or would the pressure be to much as they've found their level ?
They could do more to justify an equal wage, like wash and iron the kits after the games. Someone had to say it.
I'm glad that I'm not alone in thinking that football pay (men and women) should only ever be linked to advertising, TV and gate money. I think the main premise is that, like a can of Coca Cola and a can of Aldi Cola, men's football and women's football are not the same products. To my mind, the calls for smaller goals and a smaller pitch in the women's game only serve to underline this. The problem is, many in the Women's game, the BBC (management, not presenters) and the feminist movement see this purely as a gender equality issue rather than a product supply and demand issue. I don't deny that in 10 to 20 years then the standard of women's football might have evolved significantly, maybe to a point that there is little difference between the quality of football played. Yet still there could be pay differences based on the demand for the product. The next thing will we will see more of is feminist MPs demanding equal air time on TV. I could well see that happening on the BBC - just as a license fee political protection measure.
