The fight for gender equality does not stop and although many times there seems to be no change or progress in this regard, there are people who do not give up and insist until they achieve their goal. Just like these Spanish girls, who, after their perseverance, managed to sign an agreement with the Spanish Football Federation to receive economic equality with the men’s team.
Last June 14 was a historic day in the world of women’s sports, since the Spanish women’s soccer team together with Luis Rubiales, president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), signed an agreement in which they stipulate that the Players will have equal bonuses and image rights with the men’s national team.
The agreement, which will have an initial duration of five years, was signed in Madrid, Spain, where president Luis Rubiales together with captains Alexia Putellas, Patricia Guijarro and Irene Paredes, accompanied by the coaching staff of the Spanish team, promised to regulate, improve image rights, as well as renew working conditions that benefit the players.
The agreement will start on July 6 during the EURO 2022 in England and is expected to cover the next World Cups and even the Olympic Games, since it will be valid until 2027.
🗣️ Luis Rubiales, president of the RFEF: “From now on the players of the @SeFutbolFem they’ll get an advance on their premiums, exactly the same as with the boys.
➡️ “We have closed an agreement for the next five years”.#PlayFightAndWin pic.twitter.com/ImcvCWw7ZQ
— RFEF (@rfef) June 14, 2022
It is an agreement very similar to that of the boys but with a correction factor that we believe is more than fair. We have to promote women’s sport and we want these distances to be shortened little by little, so that more and more money and more prizes come to women’s football.
– Luis Rubiales, president of the RFEF
This agreement brings not only economic benefits for the players, but they will also have the same concentration and preparation rights as the men, as well as the distribution of prizes from UEFA and FIFA. In addition, the conditions of displacement and travel will improve.
Despite the fact that the negotiation process was quite long, the president assured that since he took office in 2018, he was in charge of working to ensure that the soccer players had benefits for their image rights. For this reason, this agreement is quite avant-garde, since it is a great step for women in the world of soccer.
Grateful for the support of the Federation and with all those who made this agreement possible, Captain Irene Paredes gave some emotional words to those present:
🗣️ @irene_paredes4: “Today is a historic day. On behalf of all the players, I want to thank the RFEF and Luis Rubiales for their efforts.”
➡️ “Having reached this agreement reinforces the Federation’s commitment to the @SeFutbolFem“.#PlayFightAndWin pic.twitter.com/xgB3bHmOO6
— RFEF (@rfef) June 14, 2022
It is a historic day and we are pleased to share it with everyone. I want to thank President Luis Rubiales for his interest in signing this agreement. This reinforces the commitment of the RFEF with the players and the Spanish women’s team. We want to be better players, better team and better selection. We’re going to England to give it our all. I appreciate the support of FUTPRO in this negotiation. We will continue to give our lives for this shirt.
We hope that this is the first step for fairness, equality but, above all, for the importance of the participation of women’s soccer worldwide. Congratulations, girls!