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SYDNEY, Nov. 6-- In a world first, players from Australia's national women's soccer team will be paid the same as their male counterparts, marking a breakthrough for gender equality in sport. The Football Federation Australia (FFA) and Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) formally announced the deal on Wednesday, which will see top tier women's players from the national side, the Matildas, earning an equal salary to their counterparts in men's team, the Socceroos. Furthermore, the team will receive a 24 percent share of an agreed aggregate of national team generated revenues in 2019-20, rising by 1 percent each year of the 4-year deal. While historically the Socceroos have been allocated a greater share of commercial revenues, the new terms will be the same for both teams. "This new deal is enormous. As a female footballer, it's kind of what we've always dreamed of, we've always wanted to be treated equal," Matildas midfielder, Elise Kellond-Knight told reporters. "We wanted to be able to step out on that pitch with equal opportunity and the equal facilities that the men have been exposed to." Also included in the deal, the Matildas will now fly business class for international travel -- the same standard afforded to the men -- and the amount of World Cup prize money allocated to the players will increase from 30 to 40 percent, jumping to 50 percent if they reach the knockout stage of the competition. | 
