New Zealand's top footballers will receive "equal working conditions regardless of gender" under a new collective bargaining agreement, according to Liam Hyslop of STUFF. New Zealand Football and the New Zealand Professional Footballers' Association announced on Tuesday a new three-year agreement was reached, "which grants equality in four key areas for the All Whites and Football Ferns." They are: pay parity, equal prize money, equal rights for image use and parity across travel while representing New Zealand. The first three have "largely been in place for some time," with the Ferns already sharing equal benefits under the old agreement in the form of NZ$115 ($80) daily payments during camps, getting 40% of prize money won by their team and the protection of image rights -- although the prize money was "far from equal given the disparity" in prize money at FIFA tournaments for men's and women's events ($576M for the last men's World Cup compared to $15M for the women's). The final condition around travel was the "biggest step forward" (STUFF, 5/8). In Auckland, Michael Burgess reported the CBA is "believed to be a world first for football," with no other country among FIFA's member nations striking such a deal. NZF CEO Andy Martin said that "it is a significant announcement for football" in the country. Martin: "We are pleased to have the collective bargaining agreement confirmed and with parity for both the All Whites and the Football Ferns. The Football Ferns, who are ranked inside the top 20 in the world, are the flagship of women's football in New Zealand. They are role models for the 30,000 female players throughout our country. It is important to recognize their contribution and form a revised agreement alongside the PFA" (NEW ZEALAND HERALD, 5/8).
