21 July 2023 , 14:48
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England's record-goalscorer Ellen White has praised the "classy" manner in which her former Lionesses teammates have handled their ongoing row over performance-related bonuses with the Football Association (FA) while warning that maintaining momentum behind the conversation is imperative to the Lionesses’ legacy.
The European champions sparked headlines earlier this week when captain Millie Bright shared a joint statement on social media addressing the squad’s anger and disappointment towards the FA regarding the unresolved dispute over bonus and commercial structures ahead of the Women’s World Cup.
The FA have refused to pay performance-related bonuses–which could reach up to £206,000 per player–on top of the guaranteed prize money allocated by FIFA in the same way some elite sides like the USA and Australia do.
The refusal marks the first time at a World Cup the FA will not be paying the England squad performance bonuses.
Bright’s post stated that the squad agreed to “pause discussions, with full intentions of revisiting them following the tournament” with all squad members etching their signatures at the bottom.
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And White believes the Lionesses demonstrated pure class in their navigation of a crucially important situation on the eve of the tournament.
“I feel very proud of the girls for having a voice and feeling empowered to speak out,” White told the Mirror while speaking at Actonians Girls FC to preview the Women's World Cup and celebrate the impact of the Euros triumph.
“The statement that they put out, it was really classy for them to come together and say they are going to put it to one side for now as they concentrate on the tournament.
“But it’s important to have these conversations because they want to leave a legacy for the next generation. The money isn’t just for the Lionesses, it filters right the way down.”
Ellen White visited Actonians Girls FC (Photo by Paul Harding/Getty Images for The National Lottery)White, who retired following England’s Euro2022 victory over Germany last summer, has been involved in myriad conversations concerning payment structures with the FA over her near-13 years in the senior set-up and noted that frustration has been mounting for years, not least with the squad having faced the same issues ahead of last summer’s tournament.
“I’m a Lionesses through and through. I know the conversations that we’ve had previously, conversations are still ongoing. These conversations feel like they’re always ongoing. But they need to be had and people need to understand they’re not just a one-off conversation.
“This is continually going on in the women’s game and I’m very proud of the group. I hope they go on to win the World Cup and continue having those conversations and get it solved sooner rather than later.”
For White, the critical aspect of the bonus row is not that of payment towards individual players but the impact of the funds on the grassroots game, sentiments that echo her former teammate Lucy Bronze.
Since the Lionesses' triumph last summer, women’s and girls’ football has relished exponential growth across all aspects of the game, with more than 170 new girls' teams formed since last summer, including a new under-9s team at Actonians Girls FC who now have over 250 women and girls training and playing across nine youth teams, Wildcats, four senior teams and recreational sessions.
Key to sustaining the trajectory is a focus on investing in grassroots football and capitalising on the recent success, White says.
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“It all starts at grassroots, doesn’t it?” White reflected. “If we can diversify the pool, give young people a chance to play grassroots football it means the pool of talent moving up through the pathway in women’s football and the Lionesses grows, Sarina [Wiegman] would have a bigger pool of talent to select from. It would be amazing for our country.
“But more so than that, it gives young people the opportunity to be part of a team and learn what that means, about friendships, communication, discipline, but that funding is incredible for grassroots and I’m hugely supportive of creating safe environments and teams for young people to play football."
Funding for grassroots is particularly close to White’s heart, with the National Lottery, which has invested over £50million into women’s and girls’ football over the last decade, funding a scholarship scheme for talented athletes that White took part in for two years.
She added: "I’m super proud and it was really sweet to see the Actonian girls and see what the funding does really. It gives those opportunity and chance to go out, be active, meet new people and football is such a great sport so it’s such a great thing the National Lottery players are doing."
National Lottery players raise more than £30million a week for good causes including vital funding into sport – from grassroots to elite. Find out how your numbers make amazing happen at: www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk #TNLAthletes #MakeAmazingHappen