Australia criticise gender disparity in prize money ahead of Women's World Cup 2023

Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) posted a video of the players on social media platforms

The Australia Women's football team has criticised the gender inequality shown in the men's and women's World Cup prize money. The Professional Footballers Association (PFA) posted a video, and all 23 players featured in the squad spoke ahead of the FIFA Women's World Cup.

In the video, the Matildas spoke for the rights of every woman footballer. Most of the players who will be playing in the upcoming FIFA Women's World Cup have to do part-time work to earn money.

Everton's Clare Wheeler said, "736 footballers have the honour of representing their countries on the biggest stage this tournament."

Clare Hunt added: "Yet many are still denied the basic right to organise and collectively bargain."

Midfielder Tameka Yallop said: "Collective bargaining has allowed us to ensure we now get the same conditions as the Socceroos, with one exception: Fifa will still only offer women one-quarter as much prize money as men for the same achievement."

The Australian players also called for making all the players in Australia's women's A-League professionals.

The total prize pot for the upcoming FIFA Women's World Cup is £84.1 million. There is a huge 300% increase from the 2019 edition. However, the prize money is way less than the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar. The prize pot in that tournament was £336.4 million.

There has also been an increase in the minimum wage of players in women's A-League from £8,509 to £10,730. This figure is set to rise again to £13,011 in the upcoming 2023-24 campaign.

"Our sisters in the A-League Women are still pushing to make football a full-time career, so they don't have to work part-time jobs like we had to," Cortnee Vine added in the video.

Football Australia CEO James Johnson said of the video's release: "We were aware of the video going out. we weren't concerned as Football Australia at all because we know that our program is world leading and we know the PFA and the players agree with that as well. "Fifa-wise doesn't get to where I think we are in Australia, but it's improved, there's room for improvement."