The Republic of Ireland's Football Association announced on Monday that its men's and women's senior teams will receive equal pay going forward.

The announcement comes after years of sometimes contentious negotiations that included the women's team threatening to strike in 2017.

"This is a great day for Irish football," Irish women's captain and Arsenal winger Katie McCabe said. "We have taken a huge step forward with this deal and have shown the world what can be achieved through unity as we offer male and female international players the same opportunities. I am very proud as Ireland captain of the work that has been put in to get us to this point, not just by the current team but by so many Irish players in the past. They are the real heroes in this story, they took a stand and they passed on the baton to the current generation."

McCabe also credited the men's team for aiding in their fight for equality.

"[Captain] Seamus Coleman and his team-mates in the senior men's squad also deserve credit for being brave enough to support us in such a progressive way on this issue," McCabe said. "It is really appreciated."

The agreement means that men's fees will be reduced with the FAI matching that contribution to equalize payments between the two teams.

"We are delighted as players to do what we can to ensure that our female international players are treated equally and fairly and we remain fully committed to doing whatever we can to achieve that goal together," Coleman, who also captains Everton, said.

Ireland's women begin their qualifying campaign for the 2023 Women's World Cup next month with a slate of three matches with Slovakia, Finland and Sweden. Georgia is the fifth team in the group.