Ex-England captain Steph Houghton reveals shockingly low salary as Arsenal player
Former England captain Steph Houghton won a number of trophies during her time at Arsenal, but the defender has revealed she was only paid a basic annual wage of £4,000
Former England captain Steph Houghton has revealed she was paid as little as £4,000 annually during her time at Arsenal.
Houghton spent three years at Arsenal, helping them win two Women's Super League titles and Women's FA Cups during that time. However, despite being one of the best defenders in the world at the time, that was not reflected in her salary.
Houghton earned a basic annual wage of £4,000, which could rise to £9,000 depending on bonuses and the additional work she carried out for the club as an ambassador and a part-time coach.
"I put them figures in the book because I wanted people to know where we've come from and where we are now," Houghton said in an interview with the Guardian. "Arsenal was the best club in England and that was their level.
READ MORE: England star addresses Thomas Tuchel criticism after crossing paths at Bayern MunichREAD MORE: Edu breaks silence on shock Arsenal exit as club release official statement"Money was never really a driver for me. It was just about playing for Arsenal and winning trophies, but when you meet people that have got a lot more experience about what you should be earning, that's when you think: 'Right, things have to change.'"
Houghton was also part of a group that fought for better pay for the Lionesses, claiming that their England contracts at the time saw the FA only pass on two percent of the money they made to the players.
"When I looked at what [England's men] were getting for commercial deals that really opened my eyes," she explained. "The men and women play for the national teams of the same country and yet they're getting 15 times more than us.
"How is that fair? I got the bit between my teeth and I was like: 'OK, we need to do something about that.' That’s what I'm probably most proud of in terms of the stuff that we did off the pitch – to change how companies thought of us as athletes and to stop them taking the piss.
"The fight for World Cup bonuses was a key moment. We were going into World Cups with no [financial] incentive, no chance of getting any prize money whatsoever. But we ended up coming away with a biggish bonus for the World Cup in 2015 [when England finished third].
"For girls who could never put down a deposit on a house, it was life‑changing. That set the precedent. It became a normal conversation that we would sort the bonuses out well in advance of the tournament."
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