Matildas star earns less than McDonald's worker

If anything epitomises the Matildas' ongoing struggle for increased wages, it's this.

Laura Alleway is one of the Matildas' superstars, playing a leading role in their successful World Cup campaign earlier this year.

But she, and many other players in the squad, is paid just $21,000 a year by the FFA for her work with the Matildas - less than your average Maccas worker.

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The Matildas have cancelled their tour to the United States in a bid to have their pay increased to the minimum annual wage – around $31,531.20.

"I’m nearly 26 and I still live at home because I can’t afford to live out of home," Alleway said.

"I do my best to save but it’s extremely hard to have savings on a $21,000 base wage.

She says she’s been 'let go' at jobs several times due to her football commitments.

"It’s not fair on the boss and it’s not fair on me if I can’t do the job (because I’m away)," she said.

"I was going to have 40 days at home out of 180 – but that’s fine because that’s the decision I’ve made to play football," she said.

"We all make sacrifices."

FFA chief executive David Gallop yesterday accused Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) of using the Matildas as a bargaining chip in its ongoing pay dispute.

He met PFA chief executive Adam Vivian on Thursday in an attempt to salvage the Matildas' two-game tour of the US, however talks again broke down due to what Gallop described as "preposterous" demands in the new collective bargaining agreement.

"What happened today was quite extraordinary because, effectively, we've been told that unless we meet a wage claim for some $120 million - the bulk of which will go to male professional players in the next four-year period - then the Matildas would not be participating against the USA," he said.