U.S. women’s soccer players have reached a victory off the soccer field. They’ve earned a groundbreaking agreement with the sport’s American governing body to end a six-year legal battle over equal pay, a deal in which they are promised $24 million-plus bonuses that match those of the men. The U.S. Soccer Federation and the women recently announced an agreement to have players split $22 million, which is one-third of what they sought in damages.

The USSF also agreed to create a fund with $2 million to benefit the players in their careers after soccer and charitable efforts to grow the sport for women. The USSF pledged to provide an equal pay rate for the women’s and men’s national teams, including World Cup bonuses, subject to collective bargaining agreements with the unions that separately represent the women and men.

36-year-old midfielder Megan Rapinoe told the Associated Press, “For our generation, knowing that we’re going to leave the game in an exponentially better place than when we found it is everything. That’s what it’s all about because, to be honest, there is no justice in all of this if we don’t make sure it never happens again.” The settlement was a victory for the players, who sparked fans to chant “Equal Pay!” when they won their second straight title in France in 2019. It was also a success for USSF President Cindy Parlow Cone, a former player who became head of the federation in March 2020.

Cone replaced Carlos Cordeiro, who quit after the federation made a legal filing that alleged women had less physical ability and responsibility than male counterparts. On the settlement, Cone said, “This is just one step towards rebuilding the relationship with the women’s team. I think this is a great accomplishment, and I’m excited about the future and working together with them. Now we can shift the focus to other things, most importantly, growing the game at all levels and increasing opportunities for girls and women.”

U.S. women have won four World Cups since the program’s start in 1985, while the men haven’t reached a semifinal since 1930. Five American stars led by Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe started the fight for equal pay with a complaint to the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in April 2016. Women sued three years later, seeking damages under the federal Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Morgan said, “It’s so gratifying to feel like we can start to mend a relationship with U.S. Soccer that has been severed for so many years because of the discrimination that we faced. To finally get to this moment feels like we can almost sigh a breath of relief.”

The sides settled the working conditions portion in December 2020, dealing with issues such as charter flights, accommodations, and playing surfaces. They were scheduled to argue on March 7 before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in an attempt to reestablish the equal pay portion thrown out by a U.S. District Court. The $22 million will be split into individual amounts proposed by the players, subject to the District Court’s approval.

This settlement shows that you will be victorious when you fight for what you genuinely believe is yours. Women’s soccer players knew that they were worth more than their pay rate, so they fought and won. Hopefully, this shows other women and girls that you should always fight for yourself because you’ll never lose.