Forward Together

Last updated : 25 June 2017 By ed_ScottishFitba
C:WindowsTempphp8147.tmpThe Scottish women's' national side have been at loggerheads with the ruling body recently and have felt unable to meet their media commitments among other things.  There has been disquiet among the squad over payments made to enable the players to put their jobs and studies on hold to enable them to train full-time and play games at home and abroad.  National Coach Anna Signeul, like her male counterpart Gordon Strachan, has maintained a neutral position on any agreement between players and the SFA.  Male and female players wearing the national team strip and playing for their country do not get paid per game but are beneficiaries from a commercial pool arrangement agreed with the SFA.  The distribution and proportion of these funds to the women's game have been at the centre of the dispute. 

The SFA has invested significant funds over the years to garner interest in and promote the women's game at local and national level.  More often than not there is free entry to international games with free promotional material available the fans on the day.  Of course, the players also invest heavily in maintaining fitness to enable them to play, with only a few able to meet their financial needs from playing the game.  Training and playing has to be crammed around studies and work with the forbearance of lecturers and employers. Time off from work costs both employers and players money so to reach international level players have to make tough sacrifices which do not have to be faced in the male side of the game.

Ahead of the UEFA Women’s Euro 2017, where Scotland will play for the first time, an agreement has been reached which should see the women's squad members participate in all commercial and media commitments.  The ruling body issued the following statement to clarify their position. Let's all hope this allows players to focus on their playing for Scotland.

"The Scottish FA and the Scotland Women’s National Team (SWNT) are pleased to have concluded an international player agreement for UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 and the forthcoming 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualification campaign. This agreement contains both commercial and operational elements.

The Scottish FA is fully committed to the development of girls’ and women’s football in Scotland. Over the past seven years we have doubled our investment into girls’ and women’s football, resulting in participation numbers across Scotland almost doubling within this period.

We are delighted that under head coach Anna Signeul the SWNT have qualified for their first ever major tournament finals. Since qualification was achieved, our priority has always been to ensure that the SWNT are fully prepared for next month’s UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 in the Netherlands. To this end, we have invested significantly into tournament preparation, including overseas trips and training camps.

We look forward to supporting the SWNT in the Netherlands this summer and to using the team’s participation in the UEFA Women’s Championships 2017 as a springboard to generating increased interest in girls’ and women’s football in Scotland from players, coaches, sponsors and, of course, fans"

A statement from the players has been issued via PFA Scotland at the end of the dispute. The statement recognised the first collective agreement between the women's national team and the SFA which was a "major step" towards parity with the men's game.

"
As a team, and individuals, we are looking forward to working closely with the SFA to promote and develop women's football in Scotland and ensure we are all moving in the same direction. The players fully accept we have a responsibility to perform to our best for our country on the pitch, but also to be the best role models we can off it.  For many years we have worked hard to do so, especially at grassroots level where we are honoured to be asked to engage with young female players at every age and stage of the footballing pathway. We want to create a legacy to hand on to the next generation of female players and ensure there is a full and proper commitment by the governing body to promoting the women's game at grassroots and national level."

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