Ireland women’s and men’s international teams to receive equal pay after historic agreement

Republic of Ireland captain Katie McCabe (11) said “This is a great day for Irish football”. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

A deal for equal pay to be granted to the Republic of Ireland men’s and women’s senior international players has been confirmed by the FAI.

As reported by the Irish Examiner on Sunday, the news was announced after an agreement was brokered between the men's and women's squads and the FAI.

The men’s squad have agreed to reduce their international fees, with the FAI matching their contribution to ensure that the senior women’s team match fee is increased and all male and female players receive the same pay from the September international window onwards. 

The FAI has also agreed equality of approach with the senior men’s and women’s squads with regard to any future tournament qualification.

As opposed to the €2,500 basic fee that had been received by Stephen Kenny’s players for representing their country each game, Vera Pauw’s squad had only been paid €500 per match.

The three-way agreement was reached after talks between FAI CEO Jonathan Hill and Ciaran Medlar, advisor to Ireland's male and female international players, alongside captains Katie McCabe and Seamus Coleman.

The Association had faced calls from the Government and pressure from sponsors to replicate other associations such as Brazil, Norway, England, and New Zealand by paying their players the identical fee for international appearances.

“This is a great day for Irish football. We have taken a huge step forward with this deal and have shown the world what can be achieved through unity as we offer male and female international players the same opportunities,” said McCabe.

“I am very proud as Ireland captain of the work that has been put in to get us to this point, not just by the current team but by so many Irish players in the past. They are the real heroes in this story, they took a stand and they passed on the baton to the current generation. 

“Seamus Coleman and his team-mates in the senior men’s squad also deserve credit for being brave enough to support us in such a progressive way on this issue. It is really appreciated.

“I also want to thank Jonathan Hill and Ciaran Medlar for their roles in this agreement. The relationship between the FAI and the senior women’s team is stronger than I have ever known it and we look forward to continuing to work together to make Irish football better for everyone who plays our game, regardless of their identity or background.” 

Coleman added: “On behalf of the senior men’s squad, I welcome this news today. We are delighted as players to do what we can to ensure that our female international players are treated equally and fairly and we remain fully committed to doing whatever we can to achieve that goal together. 

“This deal is the right one for everyone who plays international football for Ireland, no matter which team they represent. We have been working towards this agreement for some time now with Katie, Jonathan, and Ciaran and I hope this acts as an inspiration to many other nations to follow suit.” 

FAI CEO Hill commented: “Speaking on behalf of the board of the FAI and myself, we are delighted to announce this historic agreement today. As we celebrate our centenary and begin to build out the strategic plan for a new FAI, the board agreed unanimously that this is absolutely the right thing for us to do as an Association. This is another important milestone in the FAI’s own transformation journey and I believe this equal pay programme shows us to be the progressive footballing nation we have always aspired to be.

“It is also another step forward in our key strategic goal to grow the women’s game in Ireland in a sustainable and systematic way. For some months now, I have been working with Katie, Seamus, and Ciaran on this agreement. Katie and her team-mates are role models to all the young girls playing football in Ireland whilst the actions of Seamus and his fellow players in our senior men’s squad to make this equal pay proposition possible should not be underestimated.

“When the proposal was first discussed, the board was also united in its commitment to support the approach which we firmly believe is the right way forward for a modern, progressive and inclusive sports organisation. Our women footballers have worked tirelessly to get to this point and I am delighted to see their ambitions for equality come to fruition with today’s announcement, one which all involved with Irish sport should celebrate. We now wish Vera, Katie, and the whole team the very best for their upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup qualification campaign.”

The women’s team are due to open their World Cup qualifying campaign on September 17 away to Georgia, while the men's team open their three-game international window away to Portugal on Wednesday.