BURLINGTON — When Burlington girls soccer midfielder Helen Worden knocked in the take-the-lead goal during the team’s Friday night game against South Burlington with under five minutes to play, her team burst into a celebration.
Team members took the opportunity to lift their jerseys up to reveal #equalpay T-shirts underneath, with a few removing their jerseys to show the full #equalpay shirts.
While four members of the teams received yellow cards for removing their jerseys, the celebration — and team’s efforts for gender pay equality — went viral over the weekend, with an appearance on “Good Morning America,” coverage on CNN and a slew of supportive messages.
The team was inspired by the U.S. women’s national soccer team’s campaign this summer during the World Cup. Members of the national team filed a federal lawsuit alleging gender discrimination against U.S. Soccer which stated the women’s team generated $20 million more in revenue than the men’s team while earning a quarter of what the men were paid.
Klara Martone, Burlington’s senior goalie, said that the players were working hard in school and wanted to bring attention to the pay gap in society.
“The idea that we could work this hard and still make less money just based on our gender is incredible to me,” Martone said. “We want to live in our adult lives in a world where we don’t have to worry about making less money.”
The girls have sold 2,000 T-shirts and raised a total of $30,000 as of Monday afternoon.
Worden went to France this summer and witnessed the United States win the World Cup. A chant after the win stuck with her.
“People were cheering ‘equal pay,’ and it was super inspiring,” Worden said. “So I came back and talked to (my teammates) about it, and said we should contribute in some way.”
Martone said that the team originally planned on wearing “equal pay” T-shirts for a dress-up day near the start of the season. But the idea gained steam, and the team decided to open up T-shirt orders to the community.
Junior right back Ruby Wool said at the start, having the boys soccer team wear the T-shirts was a “big victory” for the team.
“Those small little steps we were taking were so big to us, and with each thing everything is getting bigger,” Wool said. “As of right now, I don’t think it’s going to get smaller for a while.”
The team was “fuming” when they received yellow cards at Friday’s game, Worden said.
As four of the girls received yellow cards, the crowd chanted “equal pay.”
“The good thing about the card was hearing everybody had our back,” senior center back/mid Maggie Barlow said. “That was one of the moments we were like, ‘wow, we have such a big support system.’ It was worth it because that was amazing to hear.”
Coach Jeff Hayes said some members of the South Burlington team came over the referees and requested that they not card their opponents. The cards were an exciting moment for the team, he said.
The four players who received yellow cards had to be temporarily taken out of the game and were not able to check back in before South Burlington equalized minutes later. The game ended in a 1-1 tie.
The effort was applauded by Brandi Chastain, a longtime member of the U.S. national team who famously removed her jersey in celebration of her penalty kick goal which won the 1999 World Cup.
“Thank you @bhsgirlssoccer for standing up, celebrating and taking your jerseys off for #equalpay Proud of you! #rolemodels,” Chastain tweeted Saturday.
Removing a jersey as part of a goal celebration — a popular goal celebration — is an automatic yellow card under the regulations of FIFA, soccer’s worldwide governing body.
Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy tweeted a photo of himself and his wife, Marcelle, both wearing the #equalpay jerseys.
“Marcelle and I stand with you!” Leahy tweeted.
The team has worked with Change The Story VT, a nonprofit initiative which works to address the wage gap and advance economic opportunities for women in the state. Women in Vermont earn 84 cents to every dollar earned by men, according to Change the Story.
Jessica Nordhaus, director of strategy and partnerships for Change the Story, said the organization has been helping the team with logistics and strategy. She said it has been a good opportunity to talk to young people about the wage gap, which isn’t on track to close until 2048.
“They’re doing the math and thinking, ‘How old will I be in 2048?’” Nordhaus said. “We’ve just been so thrilled to see them take this issue on and do some of the activism that raises awareness about pay inequity.”
The team is selling the jerseys for $25, with a looser fit “men’s” style jersey for $29.80. The men’s jersey is 16% more expensive, which is meant to even the wage gap.
The jerseys have #EqualPay on the front with the BHS Seahorse logo and Change The Story logos on the sleeves.
Funds raised in the sales will go to a local youth soccer Greater Burlington Girls Soccer League. The players are hoping the funds raised can help with outreach across the city and help make participants in the soccer league more reflective of the demographics of the city.
“We want them to be able to give scholarships to girls who aren’t able to play,” Barlow said. “We’re working on widening access for all different kinds of people and making sure GBGSL has the means to fund that.”
The team finished its regular season with a 9-4-1 record, receiving the fourth seed in the Division 1 playoffs. Burlington will face off with 13th seed Brattleboro Wednesday in the first round of the playoffs.
Hayes said he is excited for the playoffs and that the activism is bringing the team even closer together.
“It just brought this team so together,” Hayes said. “They’re so cohesive when they are using their voices. They’re making waves in the community, and they’re good waves.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified the site of last summer’s women’s World Cup. It was France. Also, the story included an incorrect given name for a staff member for Change the Story. She is Jessica Nordhaus.
