The A-League Women’s is finally getting its long-awaited expansion, with two more teams to be included in the competition over the next two years.
Western United will debut in the 2022/23 season, which is due to kick off on November 18, while the Central Coast Mariners will make their return to the league for 2023/24, bringing the total number of clubs in the competition to 12.
The latter season will also be extended to a full 22 round home and away season, with 132 matches total. It finally brings the league in line with many other domestic football leagues across the globe.
It’s a massive boost for women’s football, with the hope that more teams and matches will bring in more fans and supporters.
The schedule has also been adjusted to more viewer-friendly time slots (COVID and weather permitting), with 18 rounds in the upcoming season being played over the weekend, and mid-week games to feature during the school holidays.
The Australian Professional Leagues (APL) is hopeful the ALW can capitalise on the hype and build-up surrounding next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup, to be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
A-Leagues CEO Danny Townsend said they want to make sure women and girls have the support and opportunity “to build and grow a lasting relationship with football, the country’s most participated in sport”.
Catering to the casual football fan is something that the A-Leagues historically haven’t been good at.
Faith and support in our national teams has never been higher, with football enthusiasts getting firmly behind the Socceroos with their qualification into the Qatar World Cup later this year, and expressing their frustration at the Matilda’s poor form against Spain last week.
(Photo by Jono Searle/Getty Images)
Jumping onto the patriotism bandwagon is a fantastic move, and one they should have made across all leagues a long time ago.
They’ve also decided to try a new tactic in engaging audiences for women’s football. The APL will target women’s football-specific fans, and tailor their fan-engagement initiatives towards them.
They’ve outlined several areas of growth and redesign for the ALW, which includes more active brands and sponsors to cater towards women’s sport fans.
It’s extremely promising to see all levels of Australian professional football research and recognise the unique circumstances surrounding the game, as well as the fans that watch it.
The introduction of the Club Championship last season made the women’s game slightly more enticing, but the promise of grass-roots support and proper engagement strategies will only continue to build the sport.
Female players will also be getting a significant pay rise, in an effort to close the wage gap to their male counterparts.
The minimum salary for the competition will increase by over 50 percent over the next two years. It’s hoped that more attractive salaries and a more intense competition schedule will entice and retain not only international players, but show younger players that a career in women’s football is possible.
Professional Footballers Association Co-Chief Executive Kate Gill confirmed players were central in the new competition design, and that having a “strong and sustainable league … will develop the next generation of Australian talent.”
It is an extremely promising and exciting time to be a football fan, especially a women’s football follower. If the APL, FA and World Cup organisers can continue to effectively work together to bring these promises to fruition, women’s football, from grassroots to the Matildas, can become one of the best national women’s football competitions in the world.
Garry
Roar Rookie
First signs of financial stress caused by the expansion of the women's A league have been seen at the Newcastle Jets with reports of club and female academy parent meeting/s held to outline future of the program. The club reportedly approached the parents for funding/sponsorship opportunities to assist in keeping the female program afloat, with the end game being closure of the female program by October if funds cannot be secured. The insider confirmed the Jets have held meeting/s with Northern NSW for alternatives however parents believe the NNSWF/Jets relationship is a contributing factor due to years of poor relations at senior level (mainly over Speers Point facilty and costs). It's reported that the Jets made it clear their male academy is secure (without sponsorship/funding requirements) and will continue on a new pathway however due to the cost of the ALW expansion and salary increases the females development program will suffer. Will this be the only female program to feel these effects in these changes, and will the community come forward and save the Jets once more? Let's hope it's the later as this would be a hard pill to swallow with less than 1 year till we host a female world cup!
coolncold
Roar Rookie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZlLBnDtYBE Matildas return to Brisbane this September against Canada
Janakan Seemampillai
Roar Guru
Exciting times for sure. By the time we get to 22 games hopefully we have leveraged off the World Cup
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
not quite what the article says. PFA position is stated as 'not opposed' but want it collectively bargained (ie. PFA wants to be involved in the process, I guess) and APL quoted as 'willing to consider it' but unconvinced there will be any financial gain. She also says that the FA (Johnson) is willing to act unilaterally if necessary, which is good to hear. The football executives don't seem to agree on a lot of things. I must also correct my original comment above, she does certainly present the FA's case and has obviously spoken to Johnson (quotes him anyway).
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
Transfer fees mean one thing player salaries are less. What the PFA want is players to break contracts free of charge. APL is not opposed to transfer fees thats where your a fool when do they turn down a transfer fee from overseas. The no transfer fees between A-league clubs was a rule designed to prevent clubs getting around the salary cup. Now its more the case of pleasing the PFA as their moment of glory these days is getting players to break A-league contracts with whining.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
So as near zero as you can get worldwide. If your depending on that you and the other tools need to get your heads checked.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
The W-league was already one of the worlds best women competitions. Did anyone bother to notice. Some of the City teams in the past were full of top internationals. When you had most of the worlds best players in the USA and the summer playing Scandanavian leagues then it was easy to get them to come to Australia for the summer. You had most of the Matildas playing here as well. Then other European leagues have taken over in the money stakes, most notably England. These changes it will cut out the top overseas players and cut out some of the Australian players who also are doing double seasons. The benefit is there will be more local players getting paid than ever before, as the two timers and internationals are cut out. With Gustavsson involved who never watches any of the W-league by the looks of things whats the point though. Since this change is going through at least you could ask that Van Egmond is never invited over as a guest player . Surely that is the biggest joke of a guest player in world history. You could argue that it makes its better for locally based players but then they dont do the local double season either.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
Interesting article in this morning's Guardian by Emma Kemp on transfer fees. She largely presents the cases of the opponents to transfer fees, PFA and APL. There's a few flaws in the arguments presented and she doesn't seem to have spoken to the FA who almost come across as the bad guys in the article.
stu
Guest
Roberto....thank you for your post. Can you let us know what numbers you have and if possible how that compares to the RL womens? A helping hand to the ALW in the early stages is perfectly fine, however if the competition is not providing incremental financial gain, how can the players justify claims of wage equality for starters.
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
ACtually, the rugby league womens comps are probably bigger than the ones you mention in your post. Admittedly, they only play a handful of times per year, but the ratings are surprisingly good. ALW ratings aren't as high, but they do play more games with more teams, and overall, the ratings numbers I've seen aren't all that bad.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
Matildas may have something to say about that. and if we want the Matildas to stay competitive and grow, we need the ALW. When's that AFL or BBL world cup being held again?
Towser
Guest
That womens transfer fee figure 2020 should read 0.88 million pounds.
Towser
Guest
One area the A-league womens should be setting themselves up for is Transfer fees. Whilst it’s early doors in the Womens game in this respect( ie mens transfer fees 2020-4.14 billion pounds, womens 2020-0.88 billion pounds) it’s an area that IMO will grow as womens football gets taken more seriously in the future by Europe. The ALW’s like the mens no matter the makeup will become a feeder/development league for Europe. Let’s face it the A-league mens has failed so far to grab a chunk of the AUD 7 billion transfer fees( around AUD 2-3 million per annum currently), hopefully that is rectified in the future and the women can also jump on what will be a growing female football transfer fee gravy train.
Waz
Roar Rookie
They can’t just “create a franchise” (as the AL did way back when) and drop in a Womens team ala Angel City FC — although there’s a lot they can learn from their marketing.
NoMates
Roar Rookie
Expansion is good and all and being the baggage of the ALM they need to start manning up and produce the goods for TV viewing otherwise they will always be a drain on the APL clubs. Can they reach the heights of the BBLW/AFLW or even Netball? Well if the mens game cant match them i doubt the womens game will ever do it.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
Does the FA contribute to funding, given that the major source of income for women's football is, assumedly, the Matildas?
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
difficult to quantify other than the two new teams, that adds 40 professional or semi-pro players, plus coaches, referees and others. Clubs, in the State, NPL, city leagues, have been adding women's teams in recent years, and assumedly below that, but no, I can't quantify them.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
Canberra does have an academy of sport, called ACTAS and women's football is on their programme
stu
Guest
Lionheart, can you quantify your comment on the growth of the womens game. I am keen to understand if you are talking about player numbers, crowd numbers, revenue generated (I am assuming you are talking about the local game). Thank you for you feedback.
stu
Guest
Sorry Waz....do not fully understand what you mean in regards to AFL/NRL and a Womens league. Conditional to government funding is the creation of a womens league. Sorry mate, not clear.