Women's football got its biggest night in UK history when England beat Germany 2-1 in a thrilling extra-time Euro 2022 final victory.
A full house of almost 90,000 fans turned out at Wembley, with a TV audience of more than 10million expected to watch from home.
With women's football breaking into the mainstream like never before, many will be wondering just how much the top players actually get paid. Well, although things are moving in the right direction there is still a large disparity in pay between men and women.
Watch: England stars storm press conference to sing 'It's Coming Home' amid raucous scenes
The Women's Super League, English football's top domestic competition, is one of the most competitive and professional in world football, and features an abundance of talent, from Sam Kerr to Vivianne Miedema. However, the salary in the WSL can be as low as £20,000 per year in some cases. The average yearly salary in the WSL is said to be £30,000.
Some players are even being reportedly "priced out" of playing professional football due to the low starting wage and lack of opportunities. There are other players, however, who have been offered in excess of £300,000 per year, so there are drastic differences in wages.
SportBible report that USA star Carli Lloyd earned more than £432,000 per year before her retirement in August 2021, with Australia and Chelsea star Sam Kerr now said to be the top earner in the women's game, earning more than £400,000 a year.
England right-back Lucy Bronze, considered one of the best players in world football, makes an estimated £200,000 a year from club football and has signed endorsement deals with brands like Pepsi, EE and Visa. She is set to join Barcelona after her Manchester City contract expired over the summer.
There is clearly a wages gulf, still, when compared with men's footballers. Gareth Bale was reportedly paid up to £600,000 a week while at Real Madrid, while six-figure weekly wages are commonplace among the elite men's players. The highest-paid male footballer according to Forbes, is Lionel Messi, who earns £62million per year before endorsements.
The WSL features international talent from all around the world, including England, Wales, Scotland, France, Australia and the Netherlands. The majority of Wales Women internationals ply their club trade in the WSL as it is the highest-quality domestic competition available to them.
With regard to national team salaries, times are changing and numerous associations pay their men's and women's teams equally for international outings. These sides include England, Brazil, Australia and Norway. England earn roughly £2,000 per match.
Elsewhere, the Football Association of Wales has pledged to introduce equal pay for its men and women international players by the end of 2026. It comes after Wales' most-capped footballer Jess Fishlock previously told an S4C documentary that unequal pay for representing Wales in football is "unacceptable" (read the full story here).
Meanwhile, the Lionesses - who admittedly are affiliated with a much larger association - are set for the "most generous bonus in the FA’s history" after winning the Euros, according to The Telegraph, with each player set for £55,000. But that £1.3m handout to the squad would be much lower than the bonus of £5m which England's men had been reported to be in line for had they won last summer's Euros.
As for marketability, experts believe the Lionesses could be in line to earn lucrative sponsorship deals in the wake of their Euros success, much like when US defender Brandi Chastain netted an estimated $2m Nike sponsorship deal after scoring the winning penalty in the 1999 World Cup.
Nowadays, Norway superstar Ada Hegerberg recently signed a £1m-plus deal with Nike, while England captain Leah Williamson is likely to be in receipt of lucrative fees after signing a deal with Italian fashion giant Gucci, alongside existing agreements with Pepsi and Nike.
Euro 2022 could be a watershed moment for commercial opportunities targeted at women's sports fans, rather than combining deals across men's and women's teams. This tournament marked the first time sponsorship was offered just for the women's tournament rather than as a bundle, while rocketing TV figures will play its part, too.
"Viewership normally determines the magnitude of sponsorship and endorsement deals, so this tournament will be a catalyst for a business revolution in the women's game," marketing expert Andrew Bloch told the BBC.
Lisa Parfitt, co-founder of sports marketing agency The Space Between, argues that women's sport can prove to be more attractive proposition than men's sport as it's more affordable. "Women's football has enormous reach, but women's sport fans are for more likely to be an advocate for a brand's sponsors, and far more likely to buy those brands' products," she said.
Data from Neilsen Fan Insights shows fans of women's football are more gender balanced and younger than fans of men's football, which is an attractive combination for brands.
Highest-paid women's footballers
- Carli Lloyd (now retired): £432,000 ($518,000)
- Sam Kerr: £417,000 ($500,000)
- Alex Morgan: £375,000 ($450,000)
- Megan Rapinoe: £373,000 ($447,000)
- Julie Ertz: £359,000 ($430,000)
- Ada Hegerberg: £355,000 ($425,000)
- Marta: £334,000 ($400,000)
(According to 888Sport)
Five of the above players ply their trade in the National Women's Soccer League in the US, a league which has long set the standard. In the UK, the Women's Super League only went fully professional in 2018.
READ NEXT:
What is the women's Euro 2022 prize money and how much do the England players get?
Who is England Women manager Sarina Wiegman? Nationality, salary, marriage and that suit
Moment England hero Chloe Kelly ditches mic mid-interview to sing Sweet Caroline
You can get a copy of Reach's 48-page special celebrating England's fantastic victory over Germany in the final of the UEFA Women's EURO Championship featuring all the final action, celebration pictures, the road to Wembley glory, tournament wallchart, stats and facts and a fantastic centre spread souvenir poster. Only £3 and available to pre-order now here.
