Lionesses reach agreement with the FA in dispute over World Cup bonuses

The Lionesses and the FA have reached an agreement in a long-running dispute over bonuses and commercial payments.

A deal was made regarding World Cup bonuses, but talks are still ongoing about future pay structures.

The focus of the discussions over the last week has been on pay from the most recent tournament in the summer, which saw England reach the final, as well as their commercial activities over the last year.

England players earned around £159,000 each for getting to the final of the World Cup, all of which came from FIFA’s prize pot as opposed to any bonuses paid by the Football Association.

Although senior players reached a settlement with the FA, areas still have to be ironed out as a more formal arrangement is yet to be made on players’ off-field remuneration.

Millie Bright, who captained the team during the World Cup, confirmed today an agreement has been reached between England players and the FA over playing bonuses.

When asked for an update on the talks at a press conference today, Bright said: “We’ve had a really good conversation with the FA.

“We have come to an agreement, but I think it’s bigger than just the bonus.

Before the summer’s tournament in Australia and New Zealand, the Lionesses in a post tweeted by Bright vented their disappointment at the dispute not being resolved before the competition began and said they decided to pause talks to focus on playing.

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She added: “For us, it’s more than the cash bonus, 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 that in all areas, we’re at the top of our game.

“The conversation was extremely positive and as players, we feel really confident moving forward about the structure that we now have in place.”

Manager Sarina Wiegman said the agreement was not unexpected but made her “really happy” as she prepares for the first game since her team lost to Spain in the final last month.

She said: “I was expecting this. The conversations had been going really well but the World Cup was ahead of us, so they needed to stop and then start up after the World Cup. That’s what happened.

“That makes me really happy because it’s good for the players and good for the women’s game to take the next step. We can focus on football.”

The Lionesses are set to face Scotland in their first Nation’s League match tomorrow at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland.