Australia's women's national football team is "looking to leverage" its strong showing at the World Cup as a "negotiating tool in tense discussions between the players union and the game's governing body over a new collective bargaining agreement," according to David Sygall of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. The Matildas' claim for pay increases and better working conditions "was swamped somewhat" by several A-League and Socceroos-related issues "which caused negotiations to break down earlier this week." The women's team's claims are believed to include a player pool expansion from A$750,000 ($553,400) to A$1M ($740,000) a year among the 23-player squad and incremental increases of up to 15% annually "over the six-year span of the Collective Bargaining Agreement." They claim an "immediate correction" should be made after "years of being paid poorly." The Football Federation Australia proposal, rejected by members at a Professional Footballers Australia meeting on Sunday, reportedly was for an overall increase of closer to 10%. Veteran Matildas goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri said, "We've come so far, it would be such a shame if we were let down at this hurdle. It's a small hurdle in the scheme of things." She added, "I know people talk about the money all the time. And, yes, it would be nice to be paid a wage equivalent to the amount of time we put in. ... But it's also about the little things that we could get through the CBA that are not cash. It's things like health insurance, having business class flights when we travel to play, things like that" (SMH, 8/15).
