So, there's two sides to this, both with some valid arguments:
(1) As Erceg argues: our women's national team players, apart from a few like herself on good foreign club contracts, struggle financially and are not adequately recompensed by NZ Football for their large commitment in time and effort. Players cannot maintain a High Performance standard when they are struggling to make a living.
Her argument here:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/nz-teams/896...
Good summary and background here from Jeremy Ruane, women's football expert:
http://www.ultimatenzsoccer.com/Scoreboard/abby_er...
My response: No doubt true in many or most cases. Could some more money be paid to those Football Ferns who are amateur?
The entire Aussie Matildas national women's team went on strike in 2015 over the pay disparity between the Matildas and Socceroos, leading to the embarrassing cancellation at short notice of the Matilda's friendly series against the USA in the USA.
Many stories about that here:
https://www.bing.com/search?q=matildas+on+strike&F...
Former Matildas captain and most senior player Melissa Barbieri did an Abby Erceg and retired from the national team over it:
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/backg...
'We're not asking for millions of dollars,' midfielder Teresa Polias says. 'We're asking for minimum wage, to sustain our lives off the pitch to do well on it. It's as simple as that.'
A basic Matildas contract is just $21,000 a year, two-thirds of the minimum wage.
By contrast, a Socceroo playing all Socceroos matches will have earned more than $200,000 so far this year alone [October]—even though the men are ranked 58th in the world and the women are 9th."
Abby Erceg's demands in contrast, are much more modest than the Matilda's: Seems that NZF do not even cover expenses.
"We are not looking for thousands or even hundred of dollars a week. We are just looking for New Zealand Football to take away our expenses so we can do our job."
Erceg mentioned on TV having to borrow money from her parents for petrol to get to training - and the petrol running out leaving her stranded.
(2) NZ Football point of view: We don't have much money in the coffers for increased funding of the women's national team program, especially since the only decent source of funding for the Ferns' program was the High Performance Sport NZ money which has been cut.
NZ Football CEO Andy Martin stated on TV that NZ men's and women's national teams are paid the same daily rate when in camp and the same split of tournament prize money.which is rare anywhere in the world.
My response: NZ Football can validly make the point that the women's national team do not generate the same level of public interest and financial return as the men's national team. Compare the crowds at games and TV viewing figures for domestic men's and women's football and there's a huge disparity. Women themselves do not turn out in any numbers to watch domestic women's football or Football Ferns games, nor do they watch women's football when it is on TV.
The Football Ferns generate very little financial return for the national body from TV revenue etc. compared for example to the millions the All Whites have generated from the 2010 World Cup, Mexico play-offs for the 2014 World Cup, Confederations Cup etc. NZ Football are earning $US 1.7 million for the All Whites just turning up at the Confederations Cup in Russia this year, more if they progress from their group.
Women's football, as everywhere in the world, doesn't generate the same public interest and financial income as men's football. When the US women's footballers protested about their poor pay compared to men's national team players, it was explained in some detail by the US Soccer Federation that although home crowds at US women's team's games are often good, the women's team doesn't actually generate that much revenue. More people actually watch US men's team's matches on TV overall and the TV rights money is much larger.
The USA may seem to have greater public interest in women's football than most other countries, but actually the success in terms of results of the women's national team has merely created passing public interest not followed by lasting financial backing or crowd turn-out for the domestic women's game. The US women's league has gone bankrupt a few times in the last decade, at times they have consequently had no national women's league, and crowds have not been great apart from isolated finals. TV coverage and revenue and viewing figures are minimal. Same in Brazil, where women's national team players have voiced their concerns about struggling on low wages. The situation is much worse in all other South American countries outside of Brazil and Colombia (the only two countries in South America with strong women's national team programs) and in most countries in the world (only about half of whom have a women's national team). Germany, Sweden, Japan and a handful of developed countries are exceptions.
However, if it is true that Football Ferns players are not even being paid expenses for getting to training etc., then this needs to be remedied. Matildas players in Australia receive an annual salary, which no doubt increased after their 2015 strike action. Even if NZF won't give Ferns players a salary, more no doubt could be done to help players who are struggling financially. The above article link on the Matildas' strike, mentions that some national team players were unemployed or cleaning toilets. No doubt some Football Ferns face similar challenges.
