Male and female footballers to be paid the same after 'unique agreement’

Australia players pose for a team group photo before the match REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier

A landmark equal pay deal brokered by the Australian women’s soccer team, the Matildas, has the potential to boost female participation in sports, equality advocates and sports groups said on Wednesday.

Australian soccer’s governing body announced it had reached a “unique” agreement with the players’ union that “closes the pay gap” between the men’s and women’s national teams.