Adidas to give Women’s World Cup winners same bonuses as men

Athletic retailer Adidas said Friday that it would ensure Adidas-sponsored players in the Women’s World Cup receive the same performance bonus payments as male players. 

Reuters reported Saturday that the sportswear company said it hoped the decision would inspire more women to become professional athletes.

{mosads}”Today we are announcing that all Adidas athletes on the winning 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup team will receive the same performance bonus payout as their male peers,” Eric Liedtke, Adidas’s head of global brands, said in a statement.

“We believe in inspiring and enabling the next generation of female athletes, creators and leaders through breaking barriers,” he added.

The announcement came as a lawsuit representing all 28 members of the U.S. women’s soccer team was filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles against the United States Soccer Federation accusing the body of “institutionalized gender discrimination.”

The lawsuit alleges that the organization devalued the women’s team by providing unequal pay, benefits and practice time. U.S. Soccer declined to comment on the lawsuit, noting that it does not comment on ongoing disputes.

According to The New York Times, pay disparities exist between the U.S. men’s and women’s soccer teams in areas such as bonuses, while differing pay structures make it difficult for direct comparisons to be made.

FIFA’s prize pool for the men’s tournament is $400 million for 32 teams, while the prize pool for the Women’s World Cup sits at just $30 million for 24 teams, according to the Times.