Canada men’s national team boycott game for equal pay deal

Avatar

Canada cancelled a friendly international with Panama just hours before kick-off on Sunday after their players went on strike over a proposed new labor deal.

No reason was given but a statement released by the men’s national team said the move came after players rejected a contract offer presented to the squad last Thursday.

The statement said talks had been ongoing since March between Canada Soccer and the national team, who this year qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 36 years.

The squad said Canada Soccer had “unnecessarily prolonged” negotiations before making an unsatisfactory initial offer on Thursday.

“Canada Soccer waited until the evening of June 2nd to present an archaic offer and the general secretary and president of the association only made themselves available for the first time to connect with the players on June 4 at 4pm,” the players’ statement said.

“For these reasons, we have reluctantly decided not to play our match today against Panama.

“It’s time we take a stand for the future of soccer in Canada.”

The players also criticised a deal signed by Canada Soccer and commercial partner Canadian Soccer Business in 2018, demanding the terms of the contract be made public.

In what is a landmark moment for the sport, the statement called for an “equitable structure with our women’s national team” that shares the same player match fees, percentage of prize money at FIFA World Cups and the development of a women’s domestic league.

The statement concluded with an apology to fans over the sudden cancellation.

“We want to apologise to our fans. Playing at home with your support is everything to us,” the statement read.

The statement said players hoped to have resolved the dispute by the time Canada is scheduled to play Curacao in the CONCACAF Nations League on Thursday.

Canada Soccer president Nick Bontis later hit back at the players decision to withdraw from Sunday’s friendly, insisting that the offer put to players was fair and calling for a “facts-based” discussion about a new labor deal.

“Canada Soccer is very disappointed the men’s national team players’ decision to refuse to play today,” Bontis said in a statement.

“Canada Soccer is committed to the principles of fairness and equity and we believe we presented a fair offer to the players.”

Brisbane Roar teams up with Monochrome as Platinum Partner

Avatar
Image credit: Brisbane Roar website

Brisbane Roar confirmed Monochrome Corporation will become their Platinum Partner and A-League Men’s match day kit sleeve sponsor for the upcoming 2024/25 season.

Monochrome is a diversified financial services group specialising in crypto-assets and infrastructure projects within the bitcoin and digital asset sector across the Asia-Pacific region.

Earlier this year, Monochrome’s asset management division launched the Monochrome Bitcoin ETF (Ticker: IBTC), Australia’s first ETF to directly hold bitcoin.

A cryptocurrency company partnering with a club in the A-League is an extremely rare case and could signify a change in the future with this Brisbane Roar deal.

Central Coast Mariners partnered with Australian crypto platform Zipmex back in April of 2022 with the partnership becoming a joint deal with NRL club Penrith Panthers, however, this collaboration didn’t last very long at all, dissolving in 2023.

The other major codes in Australia have accepted multi-million dollar deals in crypto and the A-League could follow suit in the coming years if it becomes more acceptable.

Brisbane Roar Chairman & CEO, Kaz Patafta expressed his excitement and discussed the way this will benefit the club.

“We are delighted to welcome Monochrome to the club for the upcoming season. Monochrome is a leader in their field and a pioneer in the ETF investment space for crypto and bitcoin exposure. We are greatly appreciative for their support of our A-League Men’s program, and we look forward to seeing this partnership grow,” Patafta explained in a press release.

Monochrome CEO, Jeff Yew also commented on the collaboration and how the two parties are tied to the same values.

“Monochrome has been a long-standing supporter of Australian athletes and sporting events. Furthering our commitment to excellence alongside Brisbane Roar which aligns well with Monochrome’s brand values,” Yew said in a press release.

Brisbane Roar secure an important deal financially for the club and are busy once again in the offseason as they remain one of the strongest business clubs in the league.

This crypto deal is pioneering and could also give a glimpse into the potential for more deals like this if it becomes successful, with clubs becoming increasingly desperate for stable, financially-heavy partnerships.

Football Queensland will keep registration fees unchanged for 2025

Avatar
Image credit: Matimix

Football Queensland (FQ) has decided to buck national trends in increased registration fees by keeping the same low fees from past seasons for 2025.

FQ’s prices for the 2025 season will be $50 for MiniRoos, $66 for Juniors and $130 for Seniors making them the lowest registration fees in Australia.

President of Football Queensland, Paula Robinson, champions the federation’s economic management throughout the years to deliver affordable sport to a growing audience.

“The Football Queensland Board of Directors is extremely proud to keep its registration fees unchanged for yet another year. Having the lowest registration fees of any Member Federation means football in Queensland is one of the most financially accessible sports in the country. No wonder we have more Queenslanders than ever wanting to take to the football fields,” she said via FQ press release.

“As we continue to experience record year-on-year growth in participation across the state, the decision to not increase governing body fees for a fifth year reflects Football Queensland’s commitment to ensuring football remains accessible to all Queenslanders, no matter their age, background or location.”

Football Queensland CEO, Robert Cavallucci, explained how the governing body continue to manage difficult reforms.

“Football Queensland continues to undertake very difficult and significant reforms to its operational design, execution and statewide governance structures to transform how we deliver football and ensure the game can handle its evolving needs well into the future,” he said via press release.

“Coupled with prudent financial management, these reforms continue placing significant downward pressure on football’s volatile and high inflationary cost environment to deliver stable registration benefits to participants across the state. 

“After another exciting 2024 season, we look forward to welcoming participants back next year and seeing even more Queenslanders join our game in 2025.”

The registration fees for FQ have been the lowest in the nation for 5 years with the federation not allowing price increases since 2020, including in 2022 where on average football prices saw a 30% increase nationwide.

With the recent cost of living crisis in Australia, the cost of sports has been a massive influence on players either starting or returning to play football in Australia.

FQ’s massive increase in participants has made football the most-played team sport in Queensland, having the largest increase in players of all state federations last season. The continued low prices have been voiced as a key contributor to this success.

As a federation with a large contribution to Australian football in player numbers and successful professionals, its ability to keep prices low is a massive accomplishment.

Other state federations should look to FQ for inspiration in replicating their economic management if Australia wants to maintain participant numbers and ease the financial pressure to play football.

Most Popular Topics

Editor Picks

Send this to a friend