While debate has raged on in the States about the pay gap between men’s and women’s soccer teams, those across the pond just moved the needle on the issue in a big way.
Lewes FC, an English club based in East Sussex, announced on Wednesday that they will offer the same playing budget to their teams regardless of gender as part of their “Equality FC” campaign. This is the first time such a measure has been implemented for a semi-pro or pro team.
Just imagine a football club paying its women and men players the same.
— EqualityFC (@EqualityFC) July 12, 2017
The club’s director Jacquie Agnew has spearheaded several efforts to encourage female participation in soccer and ensure that the conversation about gender inequality continues to be at the forefront of the game. Along with the setting an equal budget, Lewes FC has established initiatives that include providing equal resources for staff and investing in local outreach to get more girls involved in soccer.
Though the women’s and the men’s teams play in different divisions of English football, these changes nevertheless set a powerful example for the greater soccer community that hopefully others will soon follow.
Lewes FC's Georgia Bridges celebrates a goal against Huddersfield Town. She probably has a similiar smile on today. Photo: @FireflyCR | Twitter
The Rooks will certainly have a whole new faction of fans cheering them on in this upcoming season for their history-making moves. Good luck to both of them!
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