Equal pay

[gonetomorrow]

The womens game could do with some mavericks to make it more interesting and give it a bit of glamour.
I've tried watching but the goals are too big for the small goalies and the ball just sails over their heads.

 

[chrismpw]

The FAI football association of Ireland have announced that women will get paid the same as men for representing Ireland.. the record attendance at an Irish women's international game is 8000 and I've seldom seen the women's game televised. While the men's team is rubbish they still bring in 35-40 thousand spectators and is always on the telly. Should income from football be one pot and everyone is paid equally or should those who bring in more money earn more?

FAI announces equal pay for Ireland's senior men's and women's teams

It has been described as ‘a ground-breaking deal for Irish sport’ by the football governing body.

www.the42.ie

They should earn what their game raises. Thats business isn't it?

 

[TheBigIguana]

They should earn what their game raises. Thats business isn't it?

Also business is spending money initially and seeing returns later. Most men's sports started this way but when we suggest paying women a professional level wage there seems to be this level of concern about the economics of it. Wealthy owners/organizations bankrolling women's sports for awhile will probably grow them into a sustainable business as is already starting to happen with the European women's club game.

 

[chrismpw]

Also business is spending money initially and seeing returns later. Most men's sports started this way but when we suggest paying women a professional level wage there seems to be this level of concern about the economics of it. Wealthy owners/organizations bankrolling women's sports for awhile will probably grow them into a sustainable business as is already starting to happen with the European women's club game.

But women want it now - based on the success of men, nit when they've earned the sane level of success in the crowd/tv market. They're well used to having their cake and eating it now.

 

[BornBlue76]

if anyone wants dig deeper than the headlines

 

[Brett Angell Delight]

I think this is a great first step. Of course the standard is far lower than the men’s game because women were prohibited from playing professionally for so long. The men’s game had nothing to compete with during the boom years of the PL and so hoovered up all the cash. Look at the standard of the PL at the start vs now. A good 30 years of investment into the women’s game MIGHT just see a similar level of improvement.

Incentivising women properly to represent their national teams is a good first step. More money needs to go towards improving the infrastructure of the game from grass roots up for girls, and improvement will come.

 

[TheBigIguana]

But women want it now - based on the success of men, nit when they've earned the sane level of success in the crowd/tv market. They're well used to having their cake and eating it now.

Yeah if there's one thing that's definitely true in this world it's that women get treatment that is above men

 

[TheBigIguana]

I think this is a great first step. Of course the standard is far lower than the men’s game because women were prohibited from playing professionally for so long. The men’s game had nothing to compete with during the boom years of the PL and so hoovered up all the cash. Look at the standard of the PL at the start vs now. A good 30 years of investment into the women’s game MIGHT just see a similar level of improvement.

Incentivising women properly to represent their national teams is a good first step. More money needs to go towards improving the infrastructure of the game from grass roots up for girls, and improvement will come.

Go watch a game from the 50s even. Women's football is very highly skilled. No they're never going to play as fast or with the same level of physical ability but honestly who cares?

 

[Brett Angell Delight]

But women want it now - based on the success of men, nit when they've earned the sane level of success in the crowd/tv market. They're well used to having their cake and eating it now.

People started murdering one another millennia ago - is it too late in the day to stop that? Is it too late to stop betamax or vhs? Is it automatically OK that things carry on just because they've worked in the past?

No - if people just exercise a tiny bit of self discipline and stop throwing money at sky, just maybe we'll get to a position where footballers don't have to blatantly cheat or take inhalers to ensure they stay a sky brand, just maybe the money dries up enough that they come back to earth and can only afford the kinds of pubs restaurants and hotels we normal folk can. Then maybe there will be less hatred and resentment at their lack of overpaid effort and we might get a bit of sport back in the process.

Wait… so have male players earned their success and level of pay or not?!

The men’s game was transformed completely by Sky and the PL. Whether or not players since have “earned” what they make is another discussion entirely but what is unequivocally true is that, for a relative pittance in terms of what gets paid out to male players, club shareholders and broadcasters themselves there could be real improvements made to grass roots football for all genders and in women’s pro football.

We all want the widest choice of entertaining sporting events possible, right? So why would anyone be against improving women’s football, which at the top flight level is probably already more entertaining than it has any right to be? Unless of course there are ulterior motives in play for wanting to keep the women’s game down, but that surely couldn’t be the case, could it?!

 

[carolinablue232]

I think this is a great first step. Of course the standard is far lower than the men’s game because women were prohibited from playing professionally for so long. The men’s game had nothing to compete with during the boom years of the PL and so hoovered up all the cash. Look at the standard of the PL at the start vs now. A good 30 years of investment into the women’s game MIGHT just see a similar level of improvement.

Incentivising women properly to represent their national teams is a good first step. More money needs to go towards improving the infrastructure of the game from grass roots up for girls, and improvement will come.

You think that’s why it’s a lower standard? Nothing to do with physical ability, speed of play, etc?

 

[Diogenes the Cynic]

You think that’s why it’s a lower standard? Nothing to do with physical ability, speed of play, etc?

Where's Ms. Ovaries?

Scandalous really.

 

[chrismpw]

Wait… so have male players earned their success and level of pay or not?! absolutely not - they should be paid far less, gate prices should be lower and football should be on free to air tv (like the women's game currently is - but won't be once we've all agreed they should be paid stupid amounts simply BECAUSE men are and its normalised among an unthinking population.

The men’s game was ruined completely by Sky and the PL. Whether or not players since have “earned” what they make is another discussion entirely but what is unequivocally true is that, for a relative pittance in terms of what gets paid out to male players, club shareholders and broadcasters themselves there could be real improvements made to grass roots football for all genders and in women’s pro football. The moon could be cheese. Before womens football became pro, the money could have been spread towards lower men's divisions, but it wasn't.

We all want the widest choice of entertaining sporting events possible, right? NO --I don't. We have an enormous range of TV channels now just like in the US. Diluted into thus mix of nonstop adverts is the same low quality programming with the occasional bit of quality that gets missed (by me at least) because I've simply given up trying to search for it among the dross. It's why I don't bother switching on to broadcast tv anymore. So why would anyone be against improving women’s football, which at the top flight level is probably already more entertaining than it has any right to be? Unless of course there are ulterior motives in play for wanting to keep the women’s game down, but that surely couldn’t be the case, could it?!

I was involved in helping lift women's football around 20 years ago with coaching. I'd like to see them earn success. I've watched as the sport has become progressively worsened as money became more involved. Small local clubs used to dominate and established a history. Today its all about sky brands and cash and is becoming the same boring procession that is the men's game.

Soon English pro women's game will involve few English women as they'll have the cash to discard their native players and bring in mercenaries just playing for the cash, not the love of the game- just as in men's game. I don't see any of this this as improvement.

 

[Chris O'Connor]

I'm all for the development and promotion of the women's game in this country but there are hard facts to appreciate. It's not the USA where women's 'soccer' is the only 'soccer' that's really watched. There it's a minority interest dwarfed by the big American sports the NFL, basketball, baseball and even ice hockey, but undoubtedly women's soccer attracts more attention than over here.

Here the women's game can attract big crowds but only when a large percentage of tickets are either free or concessionary and only for the show piece games. The simple fact is that we live in an age of entertainment choice and the run of the mill league games attract sparse crowds in tiny grounds - it's growing but tiny, any wage increases aren't justified by the attendances or entertainment given. It shouldn't be compared to the standard of the men's game but in an age of choice, people make those choices and the men's game is a vastly superior product, more entertaining, greater skill allied to physical power. The standard of goalkeeping is s huge difference because of basic anatomy, men are generally taller and fill the goal better.

Entertainment value is often measured through attendances at games and TV viewer ratings. TV ratings are the way forward as the more exposure the more watch, and sky pay buttons for the rights so it's a win:win for them. Tbh it's an entertainment I wouldn't choose to watch because I have the choice and there's usually something far better on another channel.

 

[tsubaki]

For international fixtures I think this makes sense, but for league games this could be dangerous- the women’s game has already been infested by the super clubs and their oligarchs (to its long term detriment), this would make it worse.

 

[DOMNOLAN]

The FAI football association of Ireland have announced that women will get paid the same as men for representing Ireland.. the record attendance at an Irish women's international game is 8000 and I've seldom seen the women's game televised. While the men's team is rubbish they still bring in 35-40 thousand spectators and is always on the telly. Should income from football be one pot and everyone is paid equally or should those who bring in more money earn more?

FAI announces equal pay for Ireland's senior men's and women's teams

It has been described as ‘a ground-breaking deal for Irish sport’ by the football governing body.

www.the42.ie

If they want the same pay, they should abolish the women team altogether and see if they're good enough to play in the mens team. If they get in, pay them the same. If they can't, they don't play football.