Australian women calling for real change in football should start it by turning up to A-League matches

Apart from netball , is there another team sport without a mens version. What your saying is certainly not true even with the current rapidly rising womens wages. Women in top netball comp still have average higher salaries and have had them for a lot longer when others were unpaid. They are up to 43k minimum and 91k max so still higher than others. Womens basketball was the biggest sports league for women here in the 80-90's, but has been going nowhere for till Kestleman improved things recently. They have 20k min now. Even WNBA in the States the wages are pretty ordinary 200k US is the max salary. In the USA their major sports are purely for profit as well. Surely you would think someone would say for about 2 million a year you can have the equivalent of the womens dream team and win the comp easy. AFLW started off as a couple of thousand with a few teams , finally this year they increase but still under netball. they are 33k minimum. Cricket new pay deal puts them ahead of netball, but they have been around forever and were unpaid till the last 10 years. The pay parity they supposedly have at national team level without the 2 million a year contracts the men but parity in match payments is a furphy. A-league W most players used to be unpaid with 8 teams, now the minimum is 17k so they are half netball. The Matildas as the national team get paid well now, didnt get paid well till 2015. Sam Kerr gets big money but she is a one off and most of her earnings are from endorsements. Comparing the womens world cup prize money to the netball world cup money, only one had prize money, but thats only available at the world cup for national team members. The irony of the world cup prize money is most women at the world cup earnt more money there than they do annually and some earnt more than their whole life time earnings, a lot of the players from smaller countries are unpaid outside of this. NRLW they get decent pay for the first time this season, still behind netball but will go above them by the end of the deal in 2027 which is increasing. Rugby Union the only players getting paid used to be the sevens rugby union womens squad omce it became an Olympic sport, they are now going to be hosting the womens 15's rugby union world cup, they finally made the Wallaroos paid this year, super w teams on the other hand are way behind.

Amongst others. Soccer is a sport that poor people can play and that's fantastic.

Almost half the squad is over the hill and needs to be retired and Gustavsson has kept a lot of players who haven't played and some are unattached even. The big concern is in the same way Logarzo and Kellod Knight hobbled their way through the last local season they need to pick them on merit not have the old over the hill Matildas when they get dumped from overseas clubs as some have now come in. You used to have the situation where them most Matildas played both overseas and the local league in the same year with the USA and Nordic leagues. The whole Matildas squad have played in the local league recently with Kerr the least recent her last season was 2018-2019. That still happens Chidiac was made player of the season locally even though she didnt play that many matches. Gorry is in this category as well.

If your purchase an Optus pass the money goes to Optus and the mens EPL. If you attend a A-league W match the money goes to the women directly/ This constant support of the Optus and the mens EPL indicates what your really about. Its also completely beyond ridiculous to compare the WSL to the A-league W, when you have about 200 Australian women in the A-league W and its been that way since the start of the competition. Its very ironic that now you have the media trying to promote then mens EPL because of a lack of Australians in the competition using a coach and the womens to get people to subscribe. Even the Telegraph has come out with the lets thank the WSL for developing the Matildas which is ridiculous as none of them developed there.

Women already attend sporting fixtures in good numbers, just not soccer.... for reasons that can never uttered here on the soccer tab.

Well said Stu. I would add, much of what you say applies to the ALM as well.

There was nothing condescending about this article. Not sure how you came to that conclusion. The facts are the vast majority attending the world cup are theatre goers and rarely watch football. Yes they supported Australia but there is no way the majority understand football. That is not condescending mate, just fact, so nothing wrong with admitting that. We also know that supporting the ALW is the only way to achieve similar coverage and money with the ALM, so again, nothing wrong with that.

I wouldn't be surprised if Roar have a more permanent women's team, academy or a mixed experience team, in NPLW, FQPL next year. I say that because they are signing players to long term contracts, at least that's a different mentality to signing a new team each year and must bring some changes, plus add their new women's facility in Brendale.

True, Roberto, these big matches (like the Olympics), bring a wealth of non-traditional fans to games. I took a very close friend to a major football event last season, who, was still learning about the sport. For the first half, he over-analysed the game, which tested my patience. Although his running commentary was sweet-natured, it was also embarrassingly comical. To him, soccer was all a novelty. But to me, football was deadly serious. I can appreciate Australia’s blockbuster international games (& alike), but from a crowd’s perspective, I prefer to attend an A-League, FFA Cup or NPL game. That’s just me.

"Around me, were seated some interesting characters, obviously devoid of any real knowledge of the game, but as passionate as a bandwagon fan could be. " Just prior to the tournament starting, I posted about my recollections around the Olympics football games, where games often had big crowds, but I was completely surrounded by people who knew nothing about the game (I guess a bit like those that may have attended Handball or other olympic events). With the Matildas being household names, it's fair to have a hope that there might be a bump in AWL games, but the fact is that at least 80% of the Matildas are playing overseas, certainly all the best known names are. I think there will be a bump, but in the scheme of things I'm expecting it to be a pretty small bump. The administators are doing their best to ride the tournament wave and get people excited about the start of the AWL season, which is proper, but equally, we all know the glow will fade with each passing day. C'est la vie.

Like rugby union? You’re a funny man!

Simply because there are better games than Soccer. It was fun while it was here in OZ but the fever pitch will subside and resume to normal levels

It will be interesting seeing the short to medium term effect on the womens game and whether people keep watching.

Lionheart, You are spot on. And like with the men, the Brisbane football public should put the recent past behind them and support both the ROAR women and men in big numbers. More supporters through the turnstiles = more money in the till = more money to spend on all aspects of the game. GO ROAR!

In relation to the article I challenged the notion that women/girls attending the WWC were anything other than football people. In terms of attending A League games following the WWC, why would they? That’s the question. There is no connection between ALW and grassroots - an investment in a grassroots players’ (potential) pro playing future would have equal return by purchasing an Optus pass and watching the WSL on there … basically a successful game in England is as likely to give them a professional future as attending an A League game. The APL (and FFA before them) exhibit an entitlement attitude - somehow grassroots players must follow the A Leagues. Why? Because they’re typically not. So APL (and others) would go well to ask why not?

The title is spot-on. Bums on seats is a powerful move, recognising football’s popularity. In America, Angel City FC are a professional women’s team, far more industrious than most other competing clubs, averaging over 19,000 fans per game. Clearly, the A-League needs to study (or replicate) this team.

Waz....just trying to work through your post as it relates to the article. To just concentrate on the ALW, we are reminded of the large numbers of girls/women playing the game. I think it is fair to assume they would be aware of the ALW. Specific to this subject, what I am getting from the article is that if the ladies/girls want to see growth in the ALW it would be fair to expect that they support that league regardless who is running it as that would only be relevant to those who care (FIFA ran the WC and they are often painted in a bad light). We had successful 'major event' support that has also resulted in demands being made for the womens game. Maybe I am missing something, however I would expect that growing evidence on the acceptance of the game through attendance, and what would follow commercially would help that cause. Why would a supporter of women playing soccer not want to attend an ALW game? I can't think they would be delving into an APL agenda, or be aware of the APL in the first place.

In all the years we’ve been posting I don’t think I’ve ever seen you being rude lol .. I may have missed a post somewhere, maybe. My comment wasn’t Roar specific, rather HAL/APL specific .. over the years Roar have done much right/much wrong in the local football community Roars goal though should be to complete their academy pathways - probably from U18 to U23’s in both men and women’s … it’s a bit ridiculous to argue Queensland women should support ALW when Roar - by choice - do nothing for women’s pathways in the State. That’s an easy fix - next season enter a women’s NPL/23’s team. Now, you keep going on about the new management. I’m not immune to what they’ve been saying/doing and yes it looks very promising (as it has before though). The question has always been is it poor management or poor ownership that’s caused Roars decline - if it’s the latter then the new boys in town are on a short cut to failure. As you know - like many Roar fans - there’s strong friendships with fellow supporters and that’s the main reason I’ll be going again this year but it’s fair to say, too many others have left the game over the Redcliffe move, Bakries, Grand Final decisions etc and they show no sign of returning. That’s on the APL and Bakries to change - like you, I can see the Bakries trying but I can’t say the same for the APL and that’s worrying - the next broadcast deal negotiations start after Christmas and if they’re still at war with a large section of their fans it may not be pretty.

not wishing to be rude here Waz, but new management at Roar have acknowledged the poor relationship Roar has with the Queensland football community and clubs, and they've started a repair job. They know it won't happen overnight, but they're getting on with it. You'll be pleased to see some of their Women signings this year - unlike previous years where the approach has been to give local players a chance to progress their career, they've signed players, on long term contracts, with an intent (it seems to me) to win, or at least be competitive. They've bought in to the FQ system, rather than compete with it, for junior development. I'm not into the details but it looks to me like they are trying hard to be a full part of the Qld football community.

sure, but we don't hear comments about female runners whose times are slower than men's. They're cheered as athletes. Not saying you're one, but many men consider the woman's game inferior and female players as intruders. A bit like Euro leagues over A League I guess. The good thing, what I'm saying, is that during the World Cup many fans cheered for and acknowledged the woman's game or what it is, sport.