Canada men’s national team boycott game for equal pay deal

Avatar

Canada cancelled a friendly international with Panama just hours before kick-off on Sunday after their players went on strike over a proposed new labor deal.

No reason was given but a statement released by the men’s national team said the move came after players rejected a contract offer presented to the squad last Thursday.

The statement said talks had been ongoing since March between Canada Soccer and the national team, who this year qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 36 years.

The squad said Canada Soccer had “unnecessarily prolonged” negotiations before making an unsatisfactory initial offer on Thursday.

“Canada Soccer waited until the evening of June 2nd to present an archaic offer and the general secretary and president of the association only made themselves available for the first time to connect with the players on June 4 at 4pm,” the players’ statement said.

“For these reasons, we have reluctantly decided not to play our match today against Panama.

“It’s time we take a stand for the future of soccer in Canada.”

The players also criticised a deal signed by Canada Soccer and commercial partner Canadian Soccer Business in 2018, demanding the terms of the contract be made public.

In what is a landmark moment for the sport, the statement called for an “equitable structure with our women’s national team” that shares the same player match fees, percentage of prize money at FIFA World Cups and the development of a women’s domestic league.

The statement concluded with an apology to fans over the sudden cancellation.

“We want to apologise to our fans. Playing at home with your support is everything to us,” the statement read.

The statement said players hoped to have resolved the dispute by the time Canada is scheduled to play Curacao in the CONCACAF Nations League on Thursday.

Canada Soccer president Nick Bontis later hit back at the players decision to withdraw from Sunday’s friendly, insisting that the offer put to players was fair and calling for a “facts-based” discussion about a new labor deal.

“Canada Soccer is very disappointed the men’s national team players’ decision to refuse to play today,” Bontis said in a statement.

“Canada Soccer is committed to the principles of fairness and equity and we believe we presented a fair offer to the players.”

Previous ArticleNext Article

Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

Avatar
Image credit: Melbourne Victory

The Melbourne-based anf family-owned business will join the Victory family, uniting two institutions which represent the city’s culture and identity.

A partnership with local roots

As the newest partner of Melbourne Victory, Roasting Warehouse joins forces with a vital part of the city’s sporting landscape.

The club’s Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the partnership bears so much value to both parties.

“We are excited to collaborate with Roasting Warehouse, a community-oriented destination for high-quality coffee, proud of its foundations in Melbourne,” said Carnegie via official media release.

“Football and coffee sit at the epicentre of Melbourne’s culture. The two go hand-in-hand, consistently at the centre of the conversation that stirs Melburnians, which is no different to the conversation sport and Melbourne Victory stir in the State.”

Indeed, this is a partnership which combines the identity, passions and culture of an entire city, therefore giving it the foundations required for long-term, mutual success.

Representing the best of Melbourne

Both Victory and Roasting Warehouse are hugely successful in their respective industries. They are institutions with community-oriented philosphies, who pride themselves on craft and quality.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Melbourne Victory, a club that represents the heart, passion, and ambition of Melbourne,” revealed Roasting Warehouse Head of Brand, Alexander Paraskevopoulos.

“As a Melbourne-founded, family-run business, supporting a team that means so much to the local community feels very natural for us.”

Furthermore, through their high-quality blends, Roasting Warehouse will look to prepare Victory’s players and staff for high performances on the pitch as the seasons nears completion.

But this is about far more than just fueling athletes.

This is a partnership which embodies and unites two of Melbourne’s greatest strengths and cultural markers – a connection forged from the city’s very own DNA.

 

For more information about Roasting Warehouse, click here.

Football NSW supports Female Coaches CPD as Women’s Football Surges

Avatar
Image Credit: Shutterstock

Football NSW has used the platform of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup to deliver a targeted professional development workshop for female coaches, bringing together scholarship recipients for an evening of structured learning and direct engagement with elite women’s football.

Held at ACPE last month, the session was open to female coaches who received C or B Diploma scholarships through Football NSW in 2025. Coaching accreditation carries a financial cost that disproportionately affects women, who are less likely to have their development subsidised by clubs or associations operating in underfunded community football environments. Scholarship access changes that equation at the point where many women exit the pathway.

Facilitated by Football NSW Coach Development Coordinator Bronwyn Kiceec, the workshop focused on goal scoring trends from the tournament’s group stage, with coaches analysing attacking patterns and exploring how those insights could translate into their own environments. The group then attended the quarter-final between South Korea and Uzbekistan at Stadium Australia.

The structure of the evening mattered as much as its content. Female coaches in community football rarely have access to elite competition environments as a professional resource. The gap between the level at which most women coach and the level at which the game is analysed and discussed tends to reinforce itself. Placing scholarship recipients inside a major tournament, as participants rather than spectators, closes that gap in a way that a classroom session cannot.

Female coaches remain significantly underrepresented across all levels of the game in Australia. The pipeline that will change that depends not only on accreditation access but on the professional networks, peer relationships and exposure to elite environments that male coaches have historically taken for granted.

The workshop forms part of Football NSW’s ongoing commitment to developing female coaches through scholarships and structured learning opportunities.

Most Popular Topics

Editor Picks

Send this to a friend