Canada’s Women’s National Soccer team ‘outraged’ over budget cuts

The Canadian Women’s National Soccer Team says it’s “outraged and deeply concerned” about the news of significant budget cuts to its programs.

The team released a statement through the official Twitter account of the Canadian Soccer Players’ Association and says it will be taking job action.

“Despite our strong track record of success and history-making achievements for more than a decade, we continue to be told there is not enough money to adequately fund our program and our youth teams,” the team said.

The time is now, we are taking job action. pic.twitter.com/QbVbhTcdDU

— CanadianSoccerPlayers (@PlayersCanadian) February 10, 2023

Christine Sinclair, women’s team captain said in a social post that “enough is enough.”

“As a team, we’ve decided to take job action and from this moment on we’ll not be participating in any Canadian Soccer Association activities until this is resolved,” Sinclair told TSN. “Whether that’s training, whether that’s games.”

The team further added that it had been negotiating with Canada Soccer for more than a year. The men’s team has also been in labour talks with Canada Soccer. It released its own statement saying the organization’s allocation and use of funds have been “cloaked in secrecy.”

A message from #CANMNT pic.twitter.com/pA8Rq1teiJ

— Samuel Piette (@samuelpiette) February 10, 2023

Despite the lack of funding, the women’s team says it’s continuing its preparations for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand this summer. However, it says it had to cut its training days, number of players, and has limited its team activities.

“This lack of support threatens to reverse the progress we’ve made as a soccer nation and to send us back to obscurity, For our team to remain a force on the world stage, we need a federation that operates and supports us at the level at which we are expected to deliver-world class,” the team said.

Canada Soccer issued its own response and says in a statement that it has a “proven track record of supporting women’s soccer.”

Canada Soccer Statement. pic.twitter.com/FfKf2So3PW

— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) February 11, 2023

“Pay equity for our women’s national team is at the core of our ongoing player negotiations. Canada Soccer will not agree to any deal without it. That is why, after months of negotiations with our women’s national team players and their legal counsel, Canada Soccer already issued a mutually-agreed to retroactive payment.”

The women’s team statement says it’s demanding immediate change, stating that Canada Soccer should get a new leadership if it’s not willing to support the team.

Canada Soccer’s general secretary Earl Cochrane, and its legal counsel are scheduled to meet the women’s team Saturday in Orlando in a previously arranged meeting.

with files from The Canadian Press