England Women are once again in discussions with the Football Association over bonuses, as the squad has yet to reach an agreement on the terms being offered ahead of their European Championship title defense this summer. This dispute echoes a similar situation from two years ago when negotiations over bonuses disrupted the team’s World Cup preparations.
Initially, the FA had declined to offer performance-related payments following the introduction of individual player fees by FIFA. Concerns about the impact of negotiations on the team’s focus led to talks being paused on the eve of the tournament. Eventually, an agreement was reached, with the FA agreeing to pay bonuses, though the matter was only resolved a month after the team returned from the tournament. England made it to the final in Australia, ultimately losing 1-0 to Spain.
Currently, discussions are ongoing, led by senior players including Leah Williamson, Lucy Bronze, and Millie Bright, with support from the Professional Footballers’ Association. Although the FA has acknowledged the principle of bonus payments and put forward an initial offer, players are reportedly dissatisfied with the proposed amount, which is believed to be lower than the bonuses received by other leading international teams. Spain’s players, for example, earned approximately £250,000 each for winning the World Cup and have already secured a lucrative agreement for the upcoming European Championship.
The squad is seeking an increase from the £55,000 bonus per player they received for winning Euro 2022, especially as UEFA has more than doubled the total prize money for the 16 competing nations, raising it to £34 million. The federation of the tournament winners in Switzerland will receive £4.3 million, with UEFA requiring at least 30% of that amount to be allocated to players. Beyond this, the level of bonuses remains at the discretion of each national governing body.
The England squad has demonstrated strong unity in past negotiations with the FA. A previous dispute saw all 25 members of the team release a collective statement a week before their opening World Cup match against Haiti, expressing their disappointment and emphasizing the importance of the issue for the growth of women’s football in England. While relations between the squad and the FA have improved since then, frustrations remain over the length of time it has taken to resolve the matter.
A source familiar with the discussions acknowledged the complexities involved, describing the situation as a commercial negotiation where tensions exist between the players’ pursuit of greater equality and financial realities. While the players seek parity, broader commercial factors also play a role in determining what is feasible. Both sides appear committed to reaching an agreement, though the timing remains uncertain.
The FA took steps towards equality five years ago by standardizing match fees for male and female England players, with both receiving around £2,000 per game. However, significant discrepancies remain in bonus structures, largely due to the substantial differences in prize money between men’s and women’s tournaments. Had England’s men won last summer’s European Championship final against Spain, they would have shared a bonus pool of approximately £14 million around ten times the amount awarded to the women’s team for their Euro 2022 victory.
With crucial Nations League matches against Belgium, Spain, and Portugal scheduled in the coming months, followed by the opening game of their European Championship campaign against France on July 5, there is a strong desire to resolve the bonus discussions well before the squad meets for their pre-tournament training camp in May. The coaching staff is eager to avoid any distractions that could affect preparations for their title defense.
As discussions continue, the outcome will likely have a significant impact not just on the England squad but on the broader landscape of women’s football, where financial disparities between men’s and women’s teams remain a central issue.
