The roar of 90,000 fans at Wembley and a TV audience of more than 10 million tuning in to watch England's European Championship triumph last summer was a moment that inspired a whole generation of female footballers. Now, as the Lionesses prepare to kick off their Women’s World Cup campaign in Australia and New Zealand, the women's game has broken into the mainstream like never before.
This begs the question: just how much do the top players actually get paid? Unfortunately, the disparity between male and female wages is still a large one.
The Women's Super League, English football's top domestic competition, is one of the world's most competitive divisions and features an abundance of talent from Chelsea's Sam Kerr to Arsenal's Vivianne Miedema. However, salaries in the league can be as low as £20,000 per year in some instances, with the average WSL yearly salary said to be £47,000 according to BBC research.
Combined with a lack of opportunities, the low starting wage has led to some players being reportedly "priced out" of playing professional football.
READ MORE: Women's World Cup 2023 prize money: How much Lionesses could earn
SportBible (via football.london) reports ex-USA star Carli Lloyd earned more than £432,000 per year before retiring in 2021, with Australia and Chelsea star Sam Kerr now said to be the top earner in the women's game, earning more than £400,000 a year. When comparing the gulf with men's footballers, the gulf is an astonishing one.
Gareth Bale was reportedly paid up to £600,000 a week while at Real Madrid, triple the amount England star Lucy Bronze was estimated to make per year. The highest-paid male footballer according to Forbes last year was Lionel Messi, earning £62million per year before endorsements.
In modern developments, numerous associations pay their men's and women's teams equally for international outings. These sides include England, Brazil, Australia and Norway. England earn roughly £2,000 per match.
The Football Association of Wales has pledged to introduce equal pay for its men and women international players by the end of 2026. It comes after Wales' most-capped footballer Jess Fishlock previously told an S4C documentary that unequal pay for representing Wales in football is "unacceptable."
In the aftermath of their record-breaking summer, it was reported by the Telegraph that the Lionesses were set for the "most generous bonus in the FA’s history," with each player set for £55,000. However, such a pay-out would be much lower than the bonus of £5m that England's men had been reported to be in line for had they won Euro 2020.
Some Lionesses have earned lucrative sponsorship deals in the wake of their success. Captain Leah Williamson, for example, signed a deal with Italian fashion giant Gucci, alongside existing agreements with Pepsi and Nike.
Marketing expert Andrew Bloch told the BBC: "Viewership normally determines the magnitude of sponsorship and endorsement deals, so this tournament will be a catalyst for a business revolution in the women's game." Data from Neilsen Fan Insights also shows fans of women's football are more gender balanced and younger than fans of men's football, which is an attractive combination for brands.
Below is a list of the highest-paid women's footballers according to 888Sport:
Carli Lloyd (now retired): £432,000 ($518,000)
Sam Kerr: £417,000 ($500,000)
Alex Morgan: £375,000 ($450,000)
Megan Rapinoe: £373,000 ($447,000)
Julie Ertz: £359,000 ($430,000)
Ada Hegerberg: £355,000 ($425,000)
Marta: £334,000 ($400,000)
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