‘WE’RE TREATED AS EQUALS WITHOUT BEING PAID THE SAME’

CLAIRE RAFFERTY, 30, is a defender with West Ham United FC Women, with 18 caps for england.

In my lifetime the main change has been from training just twice a week until the floodlights were turned off, to having our own facilities and full-time medical care. We are now treated as equals but without being paid the same. The pay gap is still humongous. Pay parity could be a generation away. The game has to reel in the money, it needs more exposure and what will help is for England to be successful in the World Cup. For those watching women’s football for the first time, England will be enjoyable to watch this summer – they’re playing passing football.