Gallop: Pay disputes casting doubt on A-League season start

The impasse in negotiations between the FFA and PFA appears to be centred around the PFA’s new demands for an extra $3 million in salary payments for A-League players over the next two years, and a significant increase of investment in women’s football – both measures that the FFA argues are not practical.

Matildas goalkeeper Lydia Williams says the manner in which the talks were handled insulted the players who expected the FFA chief executive officer David Gallop to attend.

Australia’s women’s football team have boycotted a training camp ahead of their tour of the United States as part of the ongoing dispute over a new Collective Bargaining Agreement with Football Federation Australia (FFA).

“The players feel they have been left with no option other than to take this course of action”.

This follows the PFA-ordered boycott of sponsored community and school events by Socceroos players in Perth earlier this week.

“When they were negotiated, it was because it was on the premise that they were part-time, only 120 days a year they would have to work, and clearly as we saw in the lead-up to the Women’s World Cup”, Vivian said.

“Yes we would love to pay them more but unannounced, fresh demands yesterday is no way to go about it”.

“This was an extremely hard decision to make”, Williams said.

“We have some good supporters in particular the A-League with Hyundai, National Australia Bank and Qantas, and Westfield with the W-League, but the challenge for us is the Socceroos”, Gallop said.

“They don’t even have yearly contracts, they have six-month contracts”, Vivian told Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio Wednesday, adding that the female players have not been paid in two months.

It’s understood the current deal on the table improves the Matildas’ base pay from $21,000 annually to over $33,000 by the end of the four-year agreement.

U.S. Soccer said they are aware of the situation in Australia, and have been working with the Australian team.

“People keep making the observation the women’s game doesn’t bring much revenue in, and therefore we shouldn’t be looking for more money”. The Matilda’s strike was no closer to ending by Wednesday evening with a withdrawal from their two games against world champions the USA appearing likely.

A PFA spokesperson refuted the suggestion that it made new demands on Tuesday, suggesting its requests were long-standing.

Adelaide United FC Chairman Greg Griffin, a member of the joint FFA-A-League negotiating team, said the PFA demand amounted to “economic vandalism”.