High Commissioner believes Lionesses have vital role in fight for women’s rights

Vicki Treadell believes England’s Lionesses have a vital role to play in the diplomatic mission of fighting for the rights of women and girls around the world (Zac Goodwin/PA)

British High Commissioner to Australia Vicki Treadell believes England’s Lionesses have a vital role to play in the diplomatic mission of fighting for the rights of women and girls around the world.

England players on Tuesday released a collective statement, posted on Twitter by captain Millie Bright, outlining their “disappointment” in not reaching an agreement with the Football Association over performance bonus payments and commercial structures ahead of their World Cup opener against Haiti in Brisbane.

That fight, they said, was driven not solely by personal gain but by “a strong sense of responsibility to grow the game” globally – a sentiment reiterated by numerous players over the last few days in the Queensland capital, where defender Lucy Bronze explained “we’re not only doing this for ourselves, we’re doing it so that we can set a standard.”

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Asked how she felt about the Lionesses’ advocacy, Treadell told the PA news agency: “I’m hugely proud. If you have a platform you should use it for global good.

“I think the Lionesses are doing just that. They are personalities, they have a profile, it’s part of a much broader global agenda of closing the gender pay gap. [In many professions] women are still behind the men.

“We must all work together to say ‘that is wrong’. If we’re doing the same job we should have equal pay. So if they voice that, if