Pay dispute between England women’s international players and FA appears to be resolved

LONDON — Players from the England women’s team appear to have reached an agreement with the country’s soccer federation regarding a dispute over bonuses and commercial structures.

England captain Millie Bright said at a news conference on Thursday that the players “feel really confident moving forward about the structure we now have in place” with the Football Association. Exact details of the agreement have yet to be officially announced.

In a statement released before the recent Women’s World Cup in Australia, the England squad expressed disappointment at the dispute having not been resolved before the tournament and said the players had decided to pause talks with the intention of revisiting them.

Players from teams at the World Cup were due to receive individual payments directly from FIFA for the first time, ranging from $30,000 to $270,00 depending on what stage of the tournament they reached.

England players didn’t receive any payments from the FA, reportedly because the governing body perceived payments coming from FIFA to be enough.

There is also believed to be frustration over a commercial strategy which players feel limits their ability to earn extra money from sponsorship.

“We’ve had a really good conversation with the FA,” Bright said. “We have come to an agreement, but I think it’s bigger than just the bonus.

“For us it’s about being world leaders on and off the pitch, and as we know the women’s game is evolving very quickly and conversations like this need to happen in order to make sure in all areas we’re at the top of our game.”

England lost to Spain in the World Cup final, a year after the team coached by Sarina Wiegman won the European Championship for the first time.

England’s first match since the World Cup is against Scotland on Friday in the inaugural Women’s Nations League.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer