A high school girls soccer team was penalized for jerseys that said 'equal pay' during a game, but earned support for their message off the field

• After scoring a goal that put the Burlington High School Seahorses ahead of the opposing team, four players took off their jerseys to reveal custom-made shirts with the message "#EQUALPAY" as they basked in the glory.
• The referees issued the four players yellow cards, but the crowd subsequently erupted in a chant of "equal pay," mirroring a similar chant after the US women's soccer team won the FIFA Women's World Cup in July.
• The team began to sell the custom-made jerseys for $25, and men are invited to purchase the shirt for an additional 16% to represent that gender pay disparity in Vermont.
• The girls have sold more than 1,000 shirts so far. Some customers included the Burlington High School boys soccer team, Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont and his wife, and even a referee who originally penalized the players for wearing the jersey during the game.
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A Vermont high school varsity girls soccer team was penalized for disorderly conduct after displaying jerseys that read "equal pay" during a game, but their message was widely supported by their community off the field.

After scoring a goal that put the Burlington High School Seahorses ahead of the opposing team, four players took off their jerseys to reveal custom-made shirts with the message "#EQUALPAY" as they basked in the glory. The referees issued the four players yellow cards, but the crowd subsequently erupted in a chant of "equal pay," mirroring a similar response that happened after the US women's soccer team won the FIFA Women's World Cup in July.

"We were frustrated at the time because we felt like our actions were appropriate for the moment," team co-captain Maggie Barlow told CNN. "In the end, the most important thing is the message we're sending."

Read more: There is an easy path to equal pay for women's soccer players, and tennis has already shown it can work at the highest levels

Some members of the team did admit to Good Morning America that they got "carried away" by taking their jerseys "all the way off." In spite of the penalty, their message garnered awareness and support from their community.

The team partnered with Change the Story, a Vermont-based initiative dedicated to aligning "policy, program, and philanthropy to fast-track women's economic status," to sell the custom-made jerseys for $25, and men are invited to purchase the shirt for an additional 16% to represent that gender pay disparity in Vermont, Seahorses co-captain Maia Vota told GMA.

The girls have sold more than 1,000 shirts so far, CNN reported. Some customers included the Burlington High School boys soccer team.

Sen. Patrick Leahy a Democrat from Vermont tweeted a photo he and his wife Marcelle wearing the jerseys.

Even a referee who originally penalized the players for wearing the jersey during the game ordered a shirt for himself.

"He told us he was looking forward to wearing it," team captain Helen Worden told CNN.

Former USWNT player and two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion Brandi Chastain expressed her support via Twitter, tweeting a thank you to the team for "for standing up, celebrating and taking your jerseys off for #equalpay.

"Proud of you!" she wrote in the tweet.

• Read more:
• The US women's soccer team now makes more revenue than the men's. Female players say they still earn $100,000 less a year.
• A top senator just introduced a bill to require equal pay for the US women's soccer team before the 2026 World Cup
• National team women's soccer players sue for equal pay
• USWNT claims study by US Soccer that the women have been paid more than the men is nothing but a 'ruse'
• 'We won't accept anything less than equal pay': US Women's Soccer team speaks out after mediation talks quickly break down