Denmark’s national men’s team have turned down a pay rise for the next four years in exchange for better pay and conditions for the Denmark women’s team.
Set to begin following the completion of EURO 2024, his historic agreement signed between the Denmark players’ union and the Danish football governing association (DBU), sees the women’s team guaranteed the same base pay as the men when representing the national team.
The DBU had previously expressed a desire to create equal pay for the men’s and women’s teams. They had insisted, however, that this money come from the men’s team, a decision that both the women’s and men’s teams were uncomfortable with.
“We didn’t want to talk with the DBU if the only way to give the women more money, would be by deducting it from the men’s team. That’s not how you create equality,” Spillerforeningen Director Michael Sahl Hansen said in a statement.
The male players worked with the players union, known as Spillerforeningen, to explore an alternate path to equality instead. Their goal was not to lower the conditions of the men’s team to align with that of the women’s, but rather to raise the pay and conditions of the women’s team to the level of the men’s. To achieve this goal, the men chose not to demand any change in their pay and conditions in their new agreement, with the money instead being used to support women’s and youth teams.
“It’s an extraordinary step to help improve the conditions of the women’s national teams. So, instead of looking for better conditions for themselves, the players thought about supporting the women’s team,” Sahl Hansen added.
The agreement also marks a 50% increase in insurance coverage for the women’s team – a welcome move, considering the dramatic increase in injuries in women’s football. This increase has been funded by a decrease in men’s insurance coverage.
Other measures announced in the deal also include the creation of a development fund and a clubhouse that all Danish national teams can use. These will be jointly funded by the men’s team and the footballing association and will help safeguard the future of Danish football.
Sahl Hansen outlined that the male players needed no convincing and that they were very happy with the presented plan. The women’s team is also pleased with the support from their male counterparts but believe that the money should come from the football association, rather than the men’s side.
This move is particularly significant for Denmark as their women’s team have faced a long battle for equality. At the 1971 World Cup, the former DBU Chair refused to admit the women’s team into the association, remarking that women’s football was just a fad and that it could not be taken seriously. After finishing second place in the coveted European Championship in 2017, the Denmark women’s team went on strike due to poor pay conditions. During this time it was revealed that the average salary for women’s national team players was around A$2,771 (1,880 Euros) a month. At this time, the average monthly salary in Denmark was above A$7369 (5,000 Euros).
By prioritising equality, the men’s team has made an extraordinary commitment to a fairer future for Danish football.
Source: FIFPRO, the global union for football players.
