Gun to your head, someone asks you to name a player in the W-League. Did you come up with Ellyse Perry? Me too.
I support the Newcastle Jets so, in theory, I support their W-League team. But I wouldn’t have a clue as to any player on their roster. Simply put, women’s sport just doesn’t feature on my radar. I think it’s fair to say it doesn’t feature on most people’s.
But I know Ellyse Perry. Does any sports loving Aussie not?
So it was with a complete sense of incredulity I read that her W-League team, current premiers and champions Canberra United, have told her she needs to devote herself to the club 100% or find a new one.
For you unpatriotic types out there, Perry plays as a defender not only for Canberra but is also an integral member of the Matildas. That’s how she keeps busy for half the year. The other half? She’s an all-rounder for the Australian Women’s cricket team.
She made her international football debut at the tender age of 16 and her Test cricket debut at 17 and three months, making her Australia’s youngest ever Test player. Furthermore, she is the only Australian to have played in both a cricket and football World Cup.
To top it all off, she doesn’t look half bad in an evening gown. That’s not sexism – there’s a reason Harry Kewell has a sponsorship deal with Politix while most other A-League players are lucky to get free boots.
Perry is by far the highest profile woman in Australian football and cricket. But her club have decided she can only play one.
“Ellyse needs to choose whether she wants to be a full-time Canberra United player and commit to training every day like everyone else does,” Canberra United chief executive Heather Reid said in the Sydney Morning Herald.
“Or if she still wants to try and mix her cricket commitment with football, then perhaps she will need to find another club.”
What’s odd about this statement is Reid’s suggestion that Perry needs to be a “full-time Canberra United player”. The annual salary cap for each W-League team is $150,000 – less than 1/15th of the men’s salary cap and probably about the average weekly income for a player in the English Premier League.
Of course Perry isn’t committed to being a full-time Canberra United player – no one is at a club with that kind of money on offer!
To her credit, Perry appears to have told Canberra to take their ultimatum and shove it, saying, “there’s some changes at the club and the coach, Jitka Klimkova, has some different ideas about how the team needs to be run.
“…Mixing my football and cricket commitments doesn’t work so well in her framework. It seems I’ll have to start looking for a new club.”
In a league which is seriously short on profile (how often do you see an article on the W-League in any of the daily papers? Or even here on The Roar?) why Canberra would choose to sack their highest profile player for the very reason she has said profile – her talents in two sports – is truly baffling.
Rumours are Perry will head to the new Western Sydney W-League team, closer to where she grew up on Sydney’s North Shore. However one would think she’s not going to have any trouble finding a new club.
Her only stipulation is that her new club allows her to continue playing both sports.
One would think it would be their only stipulation as well.
Follow Joe on Twitter @joebfrost
An Indian
Guest
u guys should be proud of perry ....u hv got such a talented gal...poor girl hav 2 mk such tough decisions...i can understand her dilemma coz I went thru it myself...
An Indian
Guest
I watched her bowling...wow...her bowling action is awesome...she looks so conventional cricketer..she is not only famous in Aus but also famous in Ind....n with increasing cricket popularity around the world specially in the t20 format will increase women cricket popularity also...football is a world game n everyone plays it so wts new in it...me myself play and follow football but I love cricket coz it is the sport of real technicality..it is nt easy 2 play cricket...maybe dts d reason it is nt played professionally worldwide...plz guys thnk beyond football there are other sports too.....n nt all are played worldwide...
Geoff Lemon
Expert
It's a tumultuous relationship.
Penny
Guest
Come on guys! Reality check! If a squad trains five days a week and one player cannot commit to that, what do you think will be the outcome? If Perry can find a squad that accepts her commitment then good for her. Women's football is not about the money. It's about the commitment from each player, coach and club and their aspirations. Clearly Perry doesnt fit into Canberras. Good on them for stating their case. Perry now has the option to find a place foe her commitment elsewhere.
Bondy
Guest
lunatic .
Ben of Phnom Penh
Roar Guru
We had good looking girls in turmoil before without any column inches. The fact is that the profile of the sport is rising.
turbodewd
Guest
This news item is only getting a lot of air time coz this chick is pretty hot.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
What are you on about? Your post rambles & makes no sense. What is your point? Why do you mention orthodontic work - how does it add any substance to, or provide any validation for, your bigoted allegations?
KNACKERS
Guest
You do realise that your reaction gives support to my thesis that this has a lot to do with class resentment don't you ? The -shall we say - orthodontically challenged simply don't lcare for people like Ms Perry I note in passing that the USA Womens Soccer Team ( I'm using the term that they use -USA is also an English speaking country )who have been the world leaders since forever has a 90% white colllege educated makeup in a country much more diverse in class and racial matters than Australia. Doesn't seem to do them any harm
Mark Richmond
Roar Guru
Midfielder, I suggest you have a look at the dates of the games in this link and follow your own advice...... http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/wleague/results
Pope Paul VII
Guest
Old Ric was never in danger of playing cricket for Australia, not even during World Series Cricket. So while it was disappointing for him his to end his sheffield shield career, his choice was pretty clear. The Ruskies in Afghanistan was nothing he could do anything about.
Griffo
Roar Guru
This is obviously a Mariners fan's handiwork...surprised it isn't up already ;-)
Midfielder
Guest
Funny... More Mullets than in Newcastle [golden line] ... and the car ad powered by Centre Link... Someone should post on the Jets forum... or sent it to Clive...
Griffo
Roar Guru
ROFL - someone has too much creative time on their hands... Also notice the Fishermen's Co-op ad - priceless!
Midfielder
Guest
Griffo Fuss and others Was wondering when this was going to happen... the car ad says it all... http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/MrCelery/PalmerJets2s.jpg
Griffo
Roar Guru
I was thinking along similar lines last night to Wasp - at 21 Ellyse is still young but the point will arrive where youthful talent may not keep up with the demands of sports seeking increasing professionalism, and performance in both may suffer. I don't know much about women's cricket and their desires on rising professional standards, but women's football is certainly seeking to attain higher standards and professionalism - I would say with more ground to cover than the mens game, women's football would be eager to grow as quickly as possible. Already both sports calendars and commitments are colliding; how soon until a national level coach poses the question to Ellyse "Unless you make the training camps and matches scheduled in the next six months, I will have to make way for someone who can...". Tom Sermani may be sympathetic at present, but it seems some of the players are becoming less so. If the likes of Jitka Klimkova becomes Matilda's coach then the question will be posed. I am assuming without much knowledge of where women's cricket is at in it's development that football is probably ahead of cricket in it's growth and may be the first sport to collectively pose the question of choice to Ellyse between which side of her two sporting worlds she will have to commit to. I think it will be a choice on which sport offers her the greater chance of national representation, but any potential media deal with the FFA that may trickle down to the W-League as an increase in team salary cap and funding the sport may help (and help all players) if it is significant.
Griffo
Roar Guru
Sorry to hear that you are in the dog house with Ellyse, Johnno...she was beautiful yesterday, but a precious princess today ;-)
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Perhaps I'm being paranoid, but would this issue have caused as much discussion or outrage if SOCKAH was not the evil sport telling our blond-haired beauty to stop playing Cricket? Today, Richard Hinds has written about the conflicts faced by Ric Charlesworth, who played top class cricket & field hockey. Source: http://www.theage.com.au/sport/soccer/double-duty-focuses-demands-of-womens-sports-20120530-1zje7.html An inevitable conflict between the 2 sports came in 1979 when Charlesworth, who had been appointed WA Cricket captain, had to miss two Sheffield Shield games with a hockey tour of Pakistan. ''It was brought to my attention that missing those games was not compatible with being captain,'' said Charlesworth. Subsequently, Charlesworth was left out of the WA Cricket team. The cruel postscript was he sacrificed his cricket career to prepare for the Moscow Olympics in which the Australian team didn't compete because of a Federal Government boycott. I reckon every Olympic athlete would be forced by their coach & team management to commit 100% to the sport in which they wish to represent Australia, notwithstanding the minimal remuneration they receive from these sports. But, the media never raises an eyebrow. But, if Sockah asks for more professionalism the world is about to cave in.
Wasp
Guest
The coach has a full right to ask her players whoever they may be to be available for the team. I like Ellyse as she is a very good player and is an assett to football in this country as she is to cricket. She is now at the crossroads which she would have been fully aware of, what sport to now become more involved with. With both codes becoming more proffessional in the last few years it was only a matter of time this was going to occur. She has had a great run with both and now she needs to say one or the other. She may still find a compromise in some way with say Sydney FC or another club who is not as fully dedicated as is Canberra who are showing signs of where the sport is going. It is the first and more will start to follow and slowly the money will as well. I wish Ellyse the best in whatever her decission is.
Mick
Guest
When I was captaining my f-troop cricket team I did not select a player who could only train once a week because people were upset that they were missing despite doing both training sessions.. The amount I whinging I copped when I selected this player for 2 games was for me unexpected at f-troop level so I could imagine what happens at w-league level