New WSL Rule Closes Pay Gap Between Men's And Women's Footballers

The Women's Super League has introduced new financial rules this season that will improve the wage floor for the top two tiers of English football, a new report has revealed.

The landscape of women's football is ever-changing. Last year, the top two leagues in the English women's game broke away from the FA to form the independent Women's Professional Leagues Ltd (WPLL).

As a result, the WPLL have taken control of all aspects of the professional women's game in England as they promised to create a "new era" for the sport.

"We are fiercely committed to building on this momentum by creating a thriving landscape which prioritises the welfare and development of players, fosters and excites a vibrant fan community, and nurtures the sport's growth," said Nikki Doucet, the chief executive at WPLL.

Women’s football in England has seen significant growth over the past few years, and a new report from The Guardian proves that momentum is continuing in the right direction.

It has emerged that players in the Women’s Super League who are aged 23 and over will be 'guaranteed' a minimum annual salary of £40,000 under financial rules brought in this season.

On top of that, young players in the newly-rebranded WSL 2, formerly the Championship, will be guaranteed at least the national living wage.

Previously, many players in the second tier were working two jobs to make ends meet, with several Championship clubs paying less than the minimum wage last season, as per the report.

It goes on to claim that the senior player salary floor is higher than the minimum wage in the United States’ National Women’s Soccer League, which is $48,500 (£36,100) this year.

The likes of Chelsea and Arsenal have been competing with US teams to sign top talent, especially of late.

Chelsea agreed a club record deal worth just under £1 million to sign Alyssa Thompson from NWSL side Angel City, before Arsenal made a record move for Canada’s Olivia Smith in July.

London City Lionesses went one step further last month, when they forked out £1.4 million for Grace Geyoro, who joined Jocelyn Prêcheu's side from French side Paris Saint-Germain.

Arsenal made a record move for Canada’s Olivia Smith this summer. Image credit: Getty

It has been a busy summer for the newly-promoted London City, who have made 16 permanent signings – including former Manchester United captain Katie Zelem – as wealthy American owner Michele Kang continues to invest heavily.