Jonte Smith: Should Be Equal, End of Discussion
The UK’s Channel 4 news channel has featured a story on Lewes Football Club becoming the first football club to pay male and female players equally, with their broadcast featuring Bermudian Jonte Smith, who said that from “non-league to professional, it should be equal and that’s pretty much the end of the discussion.”
Speaking on the broadcast, Smith, who plays for Lewes FC, said, “A few of the directors sort of sat down with the men’s team and basically told us what was going to be happening with the equal pay and what their mission and what their drive was for this.”
“Overall, I think of the team pretty much agreed that it was a good idea and that we as a club and a community – because it is a community club – would get behind that.
“Some players may have been questioning of what type of effect is it going to have on us, which a lot of people may have their concern, but from non-league to professional, it should be equal and that’s pretty much the end of the discussion.”
Lewes FC have launched a campaign, Equality FC, to raise awareness about gender inequality in football. The campaign also aims to encourage more support for women’s and girls’ football across the UK and around the world.
Jacquie Agnew, Lewes FC Director, said: “At Lewes FC we believe that there should be a level playing field for women in football.
“By committing to paying our women’s and men’s teams equally, and providing equal resource for coaching, training and facilities, we hope to spark a change across the UK that will help put an end to the excuses for why such a deep pay disparity has persisted in our sport.
“Together with our owners, donors and sponsors, Lewes FC can show that equal pay can be implemented to the benefit of both women and men in sport and beyond.”
Fan base is what sets the pay scale.female players have to build their own fan base in their side of the craft. I don’t watch female football because I am not female. I can’t not relate to them when they play its that simple.
Now if they have the fan base but are getting different cuts then that’s a different story and should be fixed.
Well said , my same thoughts exactly. It’s has nothing to do with gender. It’s just that male football just like even in basketball has a waaaaay bigger fan base and audience so their pay goes up. Just like Venus and Serena Williams did in tennis, they build their fan base up and did things to make ppl watch “and we did!” And they are paid well. Their even got more views than all the male events in tennis and generated more money.
You can’t relate to them? They’re not discussing having a menstrual cycle, they’re playing a sport. You’re just a misogynist. You don’t have to like it, others do.
Way to judge me. I like to watch Gymnastics but I cant get into the male Gymnastics. every thing has its place in my book. its just my setting.
When he says “…to professional” does he mean to also include professional players? Or just up until the pros? Because while I’m a huge advocate for gender equality, it’s ludicrous to suggest it should be equal at the professional level. That would show a complete failure to understand the economics of how professional sports work. I’m all for promoting and elevating women in sport but the reality is that there are not Billions of dollars in advertising and TV revenue streaming in to women’s leagues. Therefore, while I think the money the men make is RIDICULOUS, it’s merely a byproduct of the economics of the games. If they don’t make it, then the big executives get a bigger piece of the pie.
Nonsense. Just saying that because you are paid by them. Millions of boys want to be footballers, thousands of girls do. It is much harder to be a male player, and the standard is miles off.
That is basic economics, and why 75,000 turn up at Old Trafford each week, and United don’t even have a ladies team.