This week, the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) announced that the national women’s team - known as the Leeuwinnen, or Lionesses - will receive the same salaries as their male counterparts from July 1, 2022. 

Closing the pay gap between male and female footballers

The gender pay gap is an issue across practically all industries and jobs, including professional sports. Recent years have seen female athletes fight to receive the same prize money as sportsmen, and those discussions finally seem to have had an effect here in the Netherlands. 

In a statement on the KNVB website, the association confirmed that female football players will receive the same premiums (i.e. money players receive for name, portrait and video rights) as male players. With the new agreement taking effect on July 1, KNVB director Jan Dirk van der Zee has called it a historic decision: “The Orange Lionesses have become an integral part of the Dutch football landscape. We want to emphasise that with this important step."

Equal pay an important step for future of sport in the Netherlands

The Dutch team is one of the top female football teams in the world, achieving serious success in a number of recent international championships. The team made it to the quarter-finals in the 2020 Olympics, and came in second place in the 2019 Women’s World Cup. In 2017, the Leeuwinnen won their first-ever title after beating Demark in the final of the Women’s European Championship.

The team hopes the KNVB’s decision to officially recognise and reward the hard work and success of the Lionesses marks a turning point in women’s football. “[We’re taking] a big step together towards an equal appreciation for both men and women who play for Orange,” says Vivianne Miedema. “It is also not only a great recognition for us as a current squad - it is an important social signal and we also hope that this will open doors for future Orange players."

Thumb: Romain Biard via Shutterstock.