Canadian female footballers wear inside-out training kits in protest against pay equity

The Canadian women's national team have doubled down on their pay equity stance, turning up to training with their shirts inside out.

It's understood the stunt is another protest about the gender pay gap after the squad's initial cries fell on deaf ears.

The sport's governing body and federation, Canada Soccer, ordered the women's national team to return to training following talks the players could strike altogether over the pay dispute.

Reports from One Football even suggest they were threatened with legal action.

So in response to being silenced over the very public dispute, the players protested by donning inside-out shirts so that the Canadian logo wasn't on show.

In footage posted to social media, the squad can be seen making their way onto the training pitch with their Nike kits clearly inside-out.

"Where you find the crest is, is over our heart," midfielder Sophie Schmidt said.

"We are proud and honoured to play for Canada. We feel as though our federation has let us down.

"That’s the reason why we have it [training kit] the other way around. We know Canadians are behind and support us.”

A bunch of other players also shared pictures of the stunt across social media.

Question marks over funding at all levels of the game, lack of transparency about finances, cuts to programs and the underlying yet glaring pay disparities have forced the women's national team into action.

The squad, fresh off the back of winning gold in the Olympics for their country, have released a joint statement calling for change, announcing that they are prepared to strike.

"We are tired of constantly having to fight for fair and equal treatment, and for a program that will give us a chance to achieve what we know this team is capable of achieving for Canada," the statement read.

"This lack of support threatens to reverse the progress we've made as a soccer nation and to send us back to obscurity.

"The national teams cannot afford to be the only ones fighting for our success any longer. Enough was enough a long time ago."

But it seems their calls are not being heard, sparking an even wider debate within the football community.

One of the people to have their say on the matter is American footballer and World Cup-winner Megan Rapinoe, who took similar issue with the gender pay gap across the boarder in the United States.

"It sucks to see it, but I’m also inspired again by another team standing up and fighting for what they feel like they deserve and what they’re worth," Rapinoe told The Athletic.

"Whether it’s England winning Euros in the fashion that they did, or the WNBA and their CBA, or the [US] hockey team and our team, the NWSL, Canada now, we’re all on the same team off the field. It all feels like a snowball effect."