Nigerians want Super Falcons to earn equal pay as Super Eagles

Since the formation of the Super Falcons in 1991, women’s football has been treated as an unwanted appendage to the more marketable male football notwithstanding the stellar record of the Super Falcons in international football.

Consequently, the Super Falcons have consistently earned significantly less than the Super Eagles.
But the Super Falcons are leading the campaign to see them earn equal pay with their male counterparts.

“I think we deserve equal pay,” Super Falcons captain Desire Oparanozie said at Ladies in Sports conference last Friday. “We are the most successful female team in Africa. We have done the nation proud. I believe we will get there, one step at a time.”

64% of the respondents to a poll conducted by The Guardian agree that the Super Falcons should be paid the same money as the Super Eagles.

Though the Super Falcons have won the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) tournament nine times compared to the Super Eagles who have won only three Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) titles, the women’s national team earns more than three times less than the male team. The Super Falcons also have more World Cup appearances than the Super Eagles.

However, another 36% of the poll respondents maintained that since the Super Eagles are more marketable than the Super Falcons, they should earn more than the female team. The Super Eagles make more revenue than the female team through sponsorship. They also boast a larger fan base.

Despite the belief that the female’s game does not get enough eyeballs for sponsors, television records were broken across the world during the 2019 Women’s World Cup with about one billion viewers watching the entertaining games.