Brand New Pay!

20 January 2010 was a momentous day for the Matildas in particular and women's football in general.  With the announcement of the new pay deal struck by the FFA and the PFA, we finally see our elite female footballers gaining some reward for years of dedication to the sport they love.  Merryn at GirlswithGame gives a great overview of what it means for our elite footballers (find out more here). Whilst the pay may not match that of the Socceroos, it's a start.

Professional Footballers Association (PFA) and in particular their Matildas Committee were integral in the negotiations with the FFA; although it must be noted the FFA were not brought kicking and screaming to the table.  We caught up with the PFA CEO Brendan Schwab to take us through the agreement.

Brendan, congratulations on the work done by the PFA and the Matildas Committee.  What was the situation for the team before and how has it changed now?

I think this is probably the third step in the development of the Matildas.  Our objective has been for some time to promote the fact that football, for both men and women, can be well paid.  It's a unique point of attraction for our game given how competitive the sports market is here. We have worked very hard to develop a career path for women's football.

The Matildas first came on board as members of the PFA a couple of years ago.  Around that time, which was the 2007 World Cup in China, an individual contract arrangement was set in place which helped compensate the players for the time that they spent involved in camps.

This agreement goes a lot further than that in that it develops a set base pay of up to $17,000 for the six months through to the Asian Cup at the end of June.  The next six months are quite intensive and will see the players spend between 70 - 80 days in camp so it is important that they are compensated in a way which is reasonably attractive.

On top of that we have established match payments for around $500 for the Asian Cup and up to $1,000 depending on their success throughout the tournament.

There is also a commitment from the FFA to negotiate a more comprehensive and longer term collective agreement to start in July and that will run all the way through to the 2012 London Olympics, encompassing the 2011 Women's World Cup.

There is a tier system in relation to the remuneration of the players.  How does the structure work and who has the job of ranking the players?

Well, there needs to be squad minimum of 23.  The FFA can employ more than 23 but that is the minimum number.  Then there needs to be 8 players employed at the highest tier, a minimum of 8 players at the second tier and then 7 players are the last tier.

The way that it will be implemented is through the Head Coach of the Matildas, Tom Sermanni, sitting down with individuals and contracting them within the range.

We would love to have a situation where all 23 players would be contracted at the highest tier but we are satisfied that the lower tier still provides more than what you consider would be a working wage for the players who have to spend significant time in camp.

What does this mean for the women's game and is this a stepping stone to something more comprehensive?

There is no doubt that we see this agreement as a step along the way to the final outcome.  Our long term objective is to have situation in Australia where there is a minimum of 23 full time jobs for women professional footballers.  It will be an avenue to reward the top players and provides an incentive for young girls who aspire to be a player to know that they can be one of those 23.

We are somewhat hopeful that we can achieve that in the next round of negotiations but if not in the round after that.  That would be a great thing for football to say that we have a career path for both men and women.

I must say that the FFA supports that.  These were not difficult or acrimonious negotiations.  The FFA has a key strategic pillar about the women's game and obviously the career path needs to reflect that.

Were there any other conditions relating to player welfare that were included in this agreement?

I think the two most important issues around player welfare.

Firstly, an Employer Recognition Program, which has been running successfully for a number years.  This program sees the FFA work very closely with the players' employers away from football to acknowledge the flexibility and support that they provide.  This is something the employers have welcomed and has take away a great deal of tension from the players trying to negotiate time away from their jobs.

The second issue is in terms of supporting their education.  One of the important things that the Matildas recognise is that the game is semi-professional.  It is absolutely critical that they have a career away from football and each Matilda is entitled to access up to $4,000 in financial support from the PFA to support them in their study and their development activities.

Finally Brendan, will we see a PFA Women's Footballer of the Year Award any time soon?

Well certainly.  In fact I must say one of the great honours in representing the Matildas is the genuine activism they have in advancing the well-being of their fellow professionals.  We have a fantastic committee which includes Heather Garriock, Sarah Walsh, Lauren Colthorpe, Kate McShea and Melissa Barberi.  They have done a tremendous job in educating the players and informing us as to what is really important for the players.

Whilst we are recognising them off the field, it is certainly important that we recognise them on the field.  That is something that we are seriously considering at the moment and hopefully we will be able to announce before too long.

Brendan, thank you very much for your time.

Thank you.