Northern Ireland women's captain Marissa Callaghan says talks held over equal pay

Northern Ireland captain Marissa Callaghan said they are in talks with the Irish FA about the potential for equal pay for the international men's and women's sides.

The issue was brought into the spotlight recently when the Football Association of Ireland announced its match fees for the Republic of Ireland men's and women's teams were going to be the same.

"Yes, absolutely," said Callaghan, when asked if she would like the IFA to follow suit.

She was responding to questions about the subject ahead of Tuesday's World Cup qualifier against Latvia.

The encounter is a hugely significant one as it will see the women's team play at Windsor Park for the first time since 2012.

Shiels managed Derry City before taking the Northern Ireland women's job in 2019

"I think there are around seven nations in the world that have equal pay and I know more and more are in talks about it. The IFA have been very supportive with us and we have been in talks over the past two years.

"It is definitely something that we will be bringing to the board and something that will be talked about, and hopefully in the future it is something we can get."

'We're being listened to now'

Northern Ireland got their World Cup qualifying campaign off to a winning start on Friday by hammering Luxembourg 4-0 at Inver Park.

Callaghan and her team-mates made history when they beat Ukraine in a play-off in April to reach the Euro finals and become the first NI women's team to qualify for a major tournament.

Their success has significantly boosted the profile of the women's game in the country and Cliftonville skipper Callaghan said the players appreciate the support they have received.

"The key is that we are being listened to now," she added.

"It has been an incredible journey, I've been playing this sport for over 20 years now and was there at the beginning when the women's game was something that was social and nobody really took it seriously. We have now completely flipped that and everyone wants to be part of it.

Callaghan scored the opening goal in Northern Ireland's 4-0 win over Luxembourg on Friday night

"We have so much support and not only through our fan base, but we have support throughout the country. You go into local shops or schools or clubs and they are all talking about the women's game which just shows how amazingly the team has done in the last couple of years.

"So many people have put in so much hard work to make strides and be here, I am just happy that I can help the team to keep continuing to create role models, create a really good atmosphere around the game and keep improving it."

Northern Ireland manager Kenny Shiels, whose side have won their last seven consecutive matches, also spoke about the importance of equal pay being introduced for the men's and women's sides.

"Of course, it is great for the girls to know that people appreciate what they are doing," he said.

"When they see parity, obviously that is going to help them feel better emotionally, physically and everything about their life, and their aspirations to do well in the sport.

"If they are getting rewarded fairly for that then obviously that is going to help their feel-good factor, their mentality and how they feel about the game. It is bound to increase the participation as well, I would have thought."

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