USA/Women's football: UKG (HR), partners with the NWSL to "close the wage gap" between men and women

The HR and workforce management solutions company UKG has entered into a "historic multi-year partnership" with the National Women’s Soccer League to become the first title sponsor of the NWSL Challenge Cup, announced the League on 06/05/2022.

"The 2023 UKG NWSL Challenge Cup will be the first-ever women's professional soccer tournament to achieve pay equity with its US peers in the men's game," said the NWSL. The prize money has not been disclosed and there is no real equivalent of the NWSL Challenge Cup in the men's game, however Major League Soccer's "MLS is Back" tournament (a post-lockdown summer tournament) in Orlando (Florida) in August 2020 had a total prize pool of $1.1m (€1.04m).

"The multimillion-dollar, multi-year UKG sponsorship will close the wage gap for the UKG NWSL Challenge Cup, with the prize money directly benefiting the women on the winning team, runner-up team, and semifinalist teams. This is in addition to the recently ratified collective bargaining agreement reached by the NWSL and the National Women's Soccer League Players Association that includes a…