Skip to content

Might be some years before this beomes common

A football club has become the first to pay its women’s team the same as its men’s.

Lewes FC, whose men’s side play in Isthmian League Division One South – the eighth tier of the English game – announced the unprecedented move as part of what they dubbed their ‘Equality FC’ campaign.

As well as pledging to equalise the five-figure budget of its men’s and women’s teams, Lewes said they would provide equal resource for coaching and other staff, upgrade equipment and facilities, and invest in local grassroots to drive participation by both boys and girls.

It most certainly could become common of course. Around the time when as many people watch the womens’ game (including, obviously, TV) as watch the mens’. I would suggest not holding your breath for that day.

16 thoughts on “Might be some years before this beomes common”

  1. Well it get’s their name in the media, and who knows, some company wanting to ride their equality coattails may ante up some sponsorship. If no-one bites, the club can quietly reverse their decision next year with a shrug of their shoulders.

  2. Perhaps they should pay their under 12 boys development team the same as well, after all, they’d probably beat the women’s team.

  3. Lewes FC, whose men’s side play in Isthmian League Division One South – the eighth tier of the English game.

    Do players even get any more than expenses at that level?

  4. Did a bit of coaching for the little ones at the rugger. The girls were just as skillful as the boys. But I didn’t kid myself: that the girls would drop out and only the boys would be left at <16.

  5. DJ:
    “Do players even get any more than expenses at that level?”

    They get sandwiches in the pub after the game.

  6. “five-figure budget”

    Which leaves how much after e.g. grounds maintenance etc?

    Is this “equality” that the same amount goes behind the bar for the men and the women after the match?

  7. Part of me wants gender pay equality to be enforced in football just for the lulz of Championship players suddenly chancing it as trannies for a payrise.

  8. DJ,

    “They get sandwiches in the pub after the game.”

    Divide a “five figure sum” (let’s say £10K) between a squad of what, 16, for 46 matches, and you get £14 each. So, yeah…

  9. Isn’t it the case that its not a flat fee per head, its a case of star players get paid, bog standard ones dont? Rather in the way star players in the EPL get more money than the rest of the team. So some players might get ‘expenses’ of a few quid for petrol money to away games, others might get a flat fee per game, a striker might be on a flat fee plus goal bonus.

    I can predict one thing – the mens team of this club will start sliding down the league if the amount of money available to pay players drops – players are pretty ruthless and will go where the money is, even when its only a few quid/game.

  10. “It most certainly could become common of course. Around the time when as many people watch the womens’ game (including, obviously, TV) as watch the mens’. I would suggest not holding your breath for that day.”

    A topless football league?

  11. Well, their men’s team is five levels down the ranking than their women’s team, so they’re actually paying their male players more than they are worth.

  12. Well, their men’s team is five levels down the ranking than their women’s team

    Wonder what odds you would get on their women’s team beating the “much lower ranked” men’s team? 1000-1?

  13. I’m not sure if I understand football across the pond well enough.

    What I think is being reported is that the pay of a third tier women’s team is going to be the equivalent of an eighth tier men’s team. If so I see no reason this couldn’t be common fairly soon.

    What am I missing?

  14. Bloke in North Dorset

    “Well, their men’s team is five levels down the ranking than their women’s team, so they’re actually paying their male players more than they are worth.”

    That depends on how many paying customers they get through the turnstiles and how much they pay for that privilege.

    Looking at the website men’s season tickets are £200 and women’s £40. I’m prepared to bet the men’s team get bigger crowds and generate more revenue.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *