England Women: Jordan Nobbs & Beth England hope Australia pay deal sets trend

Jordan Nobbs and Beth England say they want the English FA to follow Australia's lead and pay England women the same as their male counterparts.

Under a historic deal, the Australia women's team will be on the same pay scale as the men's international side.

Chelsea midfielder England said it would be a "long process" and an "ongoing battle" for the Lionesses.

But she added: "I think any women's footballer wants to be respected and equal to their male counterparts."

England host Germany in a sell-out at Wembley on Saturday, which could set a record attendance for a women's match in the UK.

The game at the 90,000-seat stadium is set to beat the previous record of 80,203 for the 2012 Olympic final between United States and Japan.

In March, the US women's team launched a lawsuit against the US Soccer Federation over pay and conditions, alleging discrimination.

Australia have now joined New Zealand and Norway in placing male and female players on the same pay scale.

"When you see other nations doing it of course we want to carry on that progression with our nation," said Arsenal midfielder Nobbs.

England added: "Australia have taken their first step and hopefully many more teams will join in with that. If that was to happen with England as well it would be amazing because we still train, we still do all the hard work the same as the men do."

England women reached the World Cup semi-finals in July, finishing fourth, and finished third at the 2015 World Cup. They also reached the semi-finals of Euro 2017.

"It's one of them where we have been better than [the men] so why are we not on the same [pay] as them, in a way?" added England.

"But, again, look at the revenue that the men bring in and you can't really compare it because their standard is relatively higher than the women - so it's going to be an ongoing battle and a long process.

"I don't think it's going to be a quick fix and I'd like to think that us as women are still pioneering to push it forward and get that equal pay."

BBC Sport has launched #ChangeTheGame to showcase female athletes in a way they never have been before. Through more live women's sport available to watch across the BBC in 2019, complemented by our journalism, we are aiming to turn up the volume on women's sport and alter perceptions. Find out more here.