To welcome in the New Year, we count down the 15 biggest stories of 2015 in what was a big year for football. Let’s continue with 10-6.
10 – The Matildas go on strike – and win
Women’s football in Australia and indeed around the world has never been an overly rewarding product for its participants in a financial sense.
Female footballers are paid significantly less than their male counterparts, an annual wage that barely meets the minimum wage. Many Australian female footballers are forced to seek employment elsewhere just to make ends meet.
So when it came to negotiating a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), it was within reason for the Matildas to expect a reasonable increase in their salaries.
That did not come initially as talks between the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) and the FFA reached an impasse. With team due for a two-match series in the US in mid-September, the players voted not to attend camp, with the tour called off. This action came only weeks after the men’s team opted to boycott functions in Perth over the same issue.
The Matildas won the won the war, however, with a new CBA struck shortly after the strike action, which midfielder Hayley Raso said vindicated the step taken by the players.
An important milestone in what was a significant year for the women’s game.
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