Football: Chloe Knott’s departure from Wellington Phoenix puts equal pay in women’s sport back in the spotlight

The issue of pay equity in women’s sport has once again come into the spotlight following the departure of Wellington Phoenix midfielder Chloe Knott.

The 27-year-old has decided she can no longer afford to play football and has been released from the remainder of her contract, saying the financial burden of taking on a full-time job at the same time was untenable.

Knott had been feeling the pressure since the start of the A-League Women’s season and was proactive in finding solutions to her problems, as were the Phoenix in trying to help her.

In a statement, Knott said: “The decision to leave the team was the hardest I have ever had to make and I did not make it lightly.”

The Phoenix are confident that no other players will feel the financial pressure that Knott did, and Newshub estimates the majority of their women’s team will earn $32,000 over the course of the nine-month season.

The A-League Women’s salary cap for the entire squad is $600,000. That’s compared to the men’s league, which is at $2.5 million.