Spain's Liga F players striking for first 2 games of season - ESPN
ESPN Players competing in Liga F, the top-tier women's football competition in Spain, will strike for the first two weeks of the new season after failing to reach an agreement with the league over a new minimum wage.
Liga F has held talks throughout the week with the various players' unions, led by the Spanish Players' Assocation [AFE], but announced on Wednesday that a deal could not be brokered.
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The players are requesting a minimum salary of 25,000 be introduced for the upcoming season, rising to 30,000 for the 2024-25 campaign. It was set at 16,000 last season, the league's first since turning fully professional.
In a statement, Liga F explained it had gradually increased its offer throughout the week, which also included eliminating part-time contracts and providing various other benefits, such as child care and other help for parents.
"The unions [negotiating on behalf of the players] showed absolutely no willingness to negotiate their salary demands," Liga F said. "Despite their incomprehensible attitude, Liga F, in response to the request of the unions themselves, took new steps towards reaching an agreement and [on Wednesday] presented a new alternative agreement for a single season with a minimum salary of 20,000 -- an increase of 25% on the current minimum salary -- with the possibility of reaching 23,000 based on commercial benefits generated by the competition.
