Millie Bright says Lionesses have settled bonuses dispute with the FA

Millie Bright said the Lionesses are 'really confident' about the bonus structure they now have in place after a dispute with the FA, ITV News Sport Editor Steve Scott reports

The Lionesses and the Football Association (FA) have reached an agreement regarding the long-standing dispute over bonuses and commercial structures.

England defender Millie Bright confirmed the news at a press conference on Thursday, saying the deal that was secured is "bigger than just the bonus".

She was speaking ahead of the Lionesses first match since they lost the World Cup final to Spain, in August. The team will play against Scotland in the inaugural Women's Nations League on Friday.

"We've had a really good conversation with the FA," Bright said.

"We have come to an agreement, but I think it's bigger than just the bonus. For us it's about being world leaders on and off the pitch, and as we know the women's game is evolving very quickly and conversations like this need to happen in order to make sure in all areas we're at the top of our game.

"The conversation was extremely positive and as players we feel really confident moving forward about the structure we now have in place."

Prior to the start of the World Cup, a statement on behalf of the Lionesses was released through Bright, where the team expressed their disappointment at a deal not being reached.

The statement also said the Lionesses had decided to pause talks with the intention of revisiting them.

In June, world football's governing body, FIFA, announced a new financial distribution model to apply to the World Cup.

The model guaranteed that players will receive performance-related remuneration directly from FIFA, with amounts increasing the deeper teams go in the tournament - ranging from $30,000 (£23,000) per athlete for the group stage to $270,000 (£206,000) allotted to each champion.

Previously, it was up to individual national governing bodies to decide how money was allocated, with some still agreeing to fund additional payments in 2023 beyond the new deal.

England players were understood to have been left disappointed by the fact the FA was not following the lead of the Australian and American federations - where collective bargaining agreements are in place - in paying bonuses on top of the prize money being paid to players direct by FIFA.

Players were also understood to be frustrated by a lack of clarity over what their cut from any commercial deals done by the FA linked to the Lionesses will be, as well as the restrictions around their personal sponsorships.

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