The US women’s soccer team players have reached a landmark agreement with their governing body, a deal in which they are promised $24 million plus bonuses that match those of the men.

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The deal puts an end to a six-year legal battle. Annoucning it on Tuesday, United States Soccer Federation (USSF) said that it will have players split $22 million, about one-third of what they had sought in damages. The soccer body also agreed to establish a fund with $2 million ”to benefit the players in their post-soccer careers and charitable efforts aimed at growing the sport for women’. 

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Veteran US midfielder Megan Rapinoe told the Associated Press that ‘ knowing that we’re going to leave the game in an exponentially better place than when we found it is everything’ is what ‘it’s all about because, to be honest, there is no justice in all of this if we don’t make sure it never happens again’. 

The call for equal pay from the US women’s team came after they had won their second straight title in France in 2019. 

“This is just one step towards rebuilding the relationship with the women’s team. I think this is a great accomplishment and I’m excited about the future and working together with them. Now we can shift the focus to other things, most importantly, growing the game at all levels and increasing opportunities for girls and women,” USSF President Cindy Parlow Cone, a former player who became head of the federation in March 2020.

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Rapinoe and co have won four World Cups since the program’s start in 1985. The men on the other hand haven’t reached a semifinal since 1930.

Five US players filed the complaint to the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in April 2016. They sued three years later, seeking damages under the federal Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

“The settlement announced today is an important step in righting the many wrongs of the past,” the union for the women’s team said in a statement.

“It’s so gratifying to feel like we can start to mend a relationship with U.S. Soccer that has been severed for so many years because of the discrimination that we faced,” said Alex Morgan, a 32-year-old forward. “To finally get to this moment feels like we can almost sigh a breath of relief.”

The $22 million will be split into individual amounts proposed by the players, subject to the District Court’s approval.

With inputs from the Associated Press