And that’s exactly what Manchester United Women Football Club did in signing midfielder Tobin Heath and forward Christen Press in September.
“I think that with the amount of great players that have come to England and with the kind of change of sports culture that’s happened with Covid-19, there’s a huge opportunity for women’s football to be put equally to men’s and to be shown on the same channels at the same times and to be given that same respect,” two-time World Cup winner Press told CNN Sport’s Amanda Davies.
“And just as we are pioneers in our sport, because women’s football is very young in comparison, we are pioneers in this global equality that needs to exist and an opportunity that needs to exist for all,” added Heath.
“And I think that’s the message that people want to see. People don’t want to just root for a team anymore. They want to root for something more.”
Fight for equal pay continues
“We talk about it all the time. We will get very little personally from winning the lawsuit. But we do it because it will greatly impact the future within the game,” Press told CNN Sport. “It will create resources for players, hopefully globally. And it sets a precedent that women in all jobs, in all careers, have a stake.”
Press added: “I think that’s one of our strengths as a team in fighting this lawsuit, is that we have strong, powerful women all around us, all the time. And our norm is not the world’s norm. We’re used to seeing women as leaders, as women, as life changers, game changers, world changers. And so that, I think, is our superpower.”
“But in this, you can inspire the whole entire world to be treated equally and to be paid equally. And that far outweighs anything I could ever do on the field.”