Norway's male and female footballers will receive "the same amount of pay for representing the country," the Norwegian FA announced, according to the BBC. The amount of money paid to the women's team will "almost double" from 3.1M krone ($488,500) to 6M krone ($945,500). This includes 550,000 krone ($86,700) paid by male Norwegian players, "money they receive for commercial activities." Norway winger Caroline Graham Hansen said, "Thank you for making this step for female athletes." She added, "This means everything for us, for our team, our sport, and for all the female athletes out there, who do the same work, the same sport as men do, but get paid less. For you to say that equal pay is how it should be, makes me want to cry. It makes me want to hug you all." Norwegian Players' Association (NISO) President Joachim Walltin believes this is the "first deal of its kind in world football." He said, "Norway is a country where equal standing is very important for us, so it is good for the country and for the sport" (BBC, 10/7).
