03 March 2023 , 12:45
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Canada women's national team and Canada Soccer have reached an agreement over an interim funding deal for 2022, it has been announced.
The governing body announced the deal in principle on Thursday and says it's similar to the deal with the men's national team, which includes per-game incentives and results-based compensation.
“This is about respect, this is about dignity, and this is about equalising the competitive environment in a world that is fundamentally unequal,” Canada Soccer’s General Secretary Earl Cochrane said. “We have been consistent and public about the need to have fairness and equal pay be pillars of any new agreements with our players, and we are delivering on that today.
"While this is an important step forward, and it signals progress, there is still more work to do to ensure both of our national programs are given the necessary resources and supports to prepare and compete.”
The statement added the overarching collective bargaining agreement with both of Canada's national teams is still being negotiated, which means the interim funding agreement is subject to change based on that deal. Last month, the women's side called off a strike after threats of legal action but still stood in protest during the SheBelievesCup with t-shirts that read 'enough is enough'.
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In a statement shared by the Canadian Soccer Players’ Association in February, the women's side had planned to take job action over equity and budget concerns but were later forced to call it off, citing threats of legal action from Canada Soccer.
Adriana Leon of Canada stands for the national anthem before to the 2023 SheBelieves Cup match against Brazil (Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images)Earlier this week, it was announced Canada Soccer president Nick Bontis had resigned from his position amid the ongoing dispute. He said in a statement on Monday: “I acknowledge that this moment requires change.
“While I have been one of the biggest proponents of equalizing the competitive performance environment for our women’s national team, I will unfortunately not be leading this organization when it happens."
It was later announced Olympic legend Charmaine Crooks was to become the new acting president of the federation. Kelly Brown has also taken on the position of acting Vice-President.