Lets put aside the removed team and financial issues and just enjoy the football and I’m not talking about the A-League!
The A-League’s lesser known little sister the W-league kicked off this weekend with a grand final rematch between Sydney FC and Brisbane Roar.
Thought the quality may have been less then what many of us are used to it proved to be an entertaining match and was broadcast on free to air TV.
Many of us have flicked the channel to a w-league match on a lazy Saturday arvo and women’s football is reaping the benefits.
Though ratings have decreased due to the rise of the new digital channels the W-League continues to pull sizable tv audiences comparable to many A-League matches.
However the off field success of the W-League has been surpassed by its on field success.
Finally Australia has a stable women’s football competition that is not only domestically competitive but at an international standard.
We may not see the Martas of tomorrow playing in Australia just yet but the league has provided a suitable home for world class female players such as Melissa Barbieri and for up and coming stars of the game such as Samantha Kerr.
The W-League has been an instrumental factor in helping the Matilda’s qualify for the recent 2011 World Cup and in winning the 2010 Asian Cup.
We often forget what we want in football, to enjoy ourselves in a way no other sport can provide.
The A-League has been the focus of many fans and commentators as they try improve the standard, increase crowds, etc.
However football is a universal game and the W-League helps us to keep that bigger picture in mind.
The W-League is very much relevant in the game’s development and its long list of successes on and off the field is undeniable proof.
PeterK
Guest
Oh no! Those of us without Pay-TV are avid fans of the W-League on FTA. If it's part of a new deal, I bet we lose it from FTA. Maybe then the ABC might give us the Youth League? The ladies play their game with such joy too. Though winning is so important (as it should be) they seem to also enjoy the actual playing so much, even when they lose. And I personally don't (too much) mind losing when a team is competitive. (Results like 7-1, and 8-1 don't really make for good games.) They are pretty good at accepting the referee's decision and getting on with the game too -- witness the bizarre and blatant hand-ball against them in Germany!
A Jet Forever
Guest
800+ at the Jets v Adelaide game was surprising, especially after no advertising and no ticketing details on the W-League website nor the Jets website. It's time to give the W-League Jets a go. They may be our only hope of a Hunter championship judging by the A-League performance yesterday
pete4
Guest
Sorry my apologies, yes I have seen Marta in action before. Thanks
TheBeautifulGame
Roar Pro
Just to clear a few things up, Marta is regarded as the best female player of all time and a few of the Matildas are a already playing the league. The article was posted a week ago on our blog http://tbgaust.blogspot.com/
Midfielder
Guest
Good read and yes the W-League is geeting much better the quality improvement is huge and as I understand it is outrating the Basketball .... The rating are good for what it is .... I think with a little extra cash the W-League could become a major part of a future media deal, not the next one but the one after that... and I can see no reason why australia should not aim to make thw W-League one of the top 3 womeens leagues in the world...
Griffo
Roar Guru
@pete4: Marta is a Brazilian striker for their national women's team and one of the best and most skillful players of the women's game at the moment. Some of the most enoyable games I have seen have been in women's football - Brazil vs USA in the 2007 Women's World Cup is a favourite. Pitty the W-League is so short. It just means there is more opportunity for the game to grow.
pete4
Guest
Dear Author, just a couple of points. This weekend gone past was Round 2 (Canberra v Perth was the game on ABC on Saturday). Secondly, shouldn't "the Martas" be the Matilda's? Cheers