The Lionesses have reached an agreement with FA over pay.
On Thursday England's Captain Millie Bright, prior to the team's Nations League game against Scotland on Friday, told the press that the players had 'had a really good conversation with the FA'.
The Women's England squad had reportedly been in disputes over backpay for commercial appearances as well as performance-related/World Cup bonuses since July. Now, according to the Guardian it is understood that the FA significantly increased their offer in order to come to a deal.
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When discussing the agreement, the World Cup Finalist said: 'We have come to an agreement but I think it’s bigger than just the bonus. For us, it’s about being world leaders on and off the pitch.'
Bright added, 'I think it’s the whole package that comes with the women’s game. It is more than just finances, it’s everything to do with the next generation...we’re extremely lucky and privileged that we have excellent facilities, and we already set the tone in many areas and I think also that those conversations are about checking in [with each other] so that if a problem does pop up, we’re in a position where we can have an open honest conversation and be more solution-based and that’s why we felt really positive.'
'I feel lucky that we’re in a position to come together and come to an agreement and actually moving forward building a new structure where we can have more of that open dialogue to make sure everything stays where it needs to be,' continued the football star.
Their victory, however, further spotlighted the need for a complete overhaul of payment structures in women's football, globally. A fact that the US team, despite their devastating loss to Sweden in August, has remained vocal about.
A stance, that has been loudly challenged by US conservative figureheads like former US president Donald Trump who took to the alt-tech Platform Truth Social to criticise both the team's loss and fight for equal pay, saying, it was 'fully emblematic of what is happening to our once great Nation under Crooked Joe Biden.'
'WOKE EQUALS FAILURE,' he added, referring to the team’s many battles for equal pay and social justice.
Another conservative media pundit and Former Fox News host, Megyn Kelly, also took to her self-titled podcast to reveal that she was 'thrilled they lost' in August.
The host attributed their defeat to the team 'not having their eye on the ball' yet, another reference to the team's commitment to activism and fight for equal pay.
The agreement reached between the Lionesses and FA is likely to spark a revived look at pay structures for the U.S. team who, after reaching a landmark $24 million settlement with U.S. Soccer in February 2022, are expected to expand their equal pay demands.
The pay agreement also follows Arsenal star and former England captain, Leah Williamson's impassioned plea to challenge gender stereotypes and level the playing field for girls around the world in an address to the United Nations.
Williamson, who led England to their first-ever Women’s EURO title last summer joined world leaders in New York for the United Nations’ Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) Summit, to promote a clear message: 'Don’t leave girls behind'.
