Internationally, the Matildas reportedly earn less than their US and UK counterparts. But what is the situation for other national teams in Australia?

The Matildas’ pay dispute with Football Federation Australia has highlighted the gap between what our male footballers earn when playing for the national team compared to female footballers.

Internationally, the Matildas reportedly earn less than their US and UK counterparts. But how do they compare with other national teams in Australia?



Matildas player strike: what are the key pay demands and disputes ahead? Read more

First, an important caveat. Comparisons between the amounts that sportspeople earn is tricky, as each sport team’s agreements can encompass match fees, performance bonuses, allowances, wages, and retainers.

This is before income from endorsements is taken into account, which can net top players significantly more than they make from other income sources.



In an attempt to get a vaguely comparable figure between the men’s and women’s national teams, Guardian Australian has compiled the amount a player receives when playing against an international team for one day, either as a match fee, daily allowance or per diem.



Here’s how it stacks up:



The national rugby league men’s team has the highest match fee, at $20,000. The women’s team, the Jillaroos, were first paid a match fee of $500 in November 2014. An NRL spokesman said that in addition to the match fee, which varies by game, all expenses are covered for both national teams.



For the Wallabies, the men’s national rugby union team, each player earns a $10,000 match fee. The women’s team, the Wallaroos, don’t get paid a match fee but may be paid an allowance of an unspecified amount during the world cup, and earn a salary of between $35,000 to $70,000.



The men’s cricket team gets paid a significantly higher fee than the women’s team, but the women’s team, the Southern Stars, are also paid a retainer for being in the national team on top of their daily tour fee. The amount varies by player, with a minimum of $25,000.

The Diamonds, the national netball team, are paid $400 per day they’re required, regardless of whether it is a match day or training.



Basketball and hockey (not shown) are the only two that have the same amount for both teams. Both the men’s and women’s national basketball teams are paid the same daily fee of $250. A spokesman for Hockey Australia said both teams were paid the same amount, but declined to specify an exact figure.



While we frequently see how much the top earners in sport make, we rarely see figures for the average player. From the 2011 census, we can see the income distribution of people who listed their profession as some type of sportsperson:



More men have higher weekly incomes than women. While the highest number for both genders is in the $300-$399 bracket, there are a significant number of male sportsmen earning over $2,000.



An examination of hours worked shows that more men are able to work full-time hours as sportspeople, too. That said, the 1-15 hour bracket is the highest for both, indicating most sporstpeople are part-time.

