Based on what we have seen over the last 12 months, maybe, just maybe, there is a chance that football in Australia might one day become what so many of us have hoped for.
With high expectations for the new domestic seasons stirred by the World Cup run of the Socceroos in Qatar and the most memorable month, as the Matildas went within 90 minutes of qualifying for a World Cup Final on home soil, further signs of life were seen across the weekend as the A-League Women’s competition began with style.
It was probably the most enjoyable round I have ever had the privilege of watching. Goals, twist and turns, tight matches and a little controversy thrown into the mix made for a cracking opening weekend.
Two red cards spiced up the F3 Derby that saw the Mariners back in top-flight play, Perth hit the ground running with a stylish win against Western United and Adelaide shared the points with Canberra in an open and dramatic 4-4 draw at Coopers Stadium.
Most notable was the 11,471 people who rocked up to Allianz Stadium in Sydney to watch the Sydney Derby. For context, that number exceeded the figure achieved at the 2022-23 Grand Final and became the highest-ever attendance for a standalone A-League Women’s match.
The F3 Derby drew 5735 and thus, as Saturday came to a close, the competition had already seen more people attend matches across a single A-League Women’s round than ever before.
With returning Matildas Cortnee Vine, Kyah Simon and Lydia Williams, as well as international stars welcomed to the league in pre-game ceremonies across the weekend, there was a genuine sense of celebration and appreciation.
Thousands of kids under 16 were in attendance without having been required to ask mum or dad for the cash to do so. The gesture to engage young fans to get out to matches via the use of the Liberty A-League Pass was obviously embraced and the subsequent atmosphere at some of the games was clearly reflective of a new energy in the women’s competition.
The entire weekend had Australian football fans smiling. By the end of it, over 20,000 people had clicked through the turnstiles and broadcaster Paramount+ would have been as happy as it has ever been since investing in the game and hoping to assist football in hitting new heights in Australia across the next decade.
Frankly, I was a little chuffed at what we saw.
A new record for Australian women’s football. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
Now, with the men set to join the women on the main stage this weekend, the kickstart could be doubled down upon.
Coopers will be rocking on Friday night, with a doubleheader that might go close to seeing the house full sign brandished in Adelaide, the Big Blue in Sydney will drag plenty through the gates and both the Wanderers and Glory will be hopeful of solid crowds to begin their seasons.
Another excellent turnout in the women’s competition in Round 2 and the cumulative number could well be in the vicinity of 100,000, which would be a stunning result for the leagues.
All the talk around the Women’s World Cup was about legacy; exactly what would the fallout be and what tangible improvements would be seen as a result of hosting such a significant event in Australia?
In the very short term, the evidence suggests that a sugar hit in terms of interest in the women’s league has been achieved.
Moreover, HBF Park has benefitted from the event, Melbourne Victory women now occupy the Home of the Matildas at La Trobe University and Coopers, Allianz, CommBank Stadium and Industree Group Stadium are all excellent places to watch football.
Never before have our domestic leagues had the number of excellent facilities available to them that they currently enjoy and with most teams settled and out of the nomadic existences seen across the last decade, the newfound stability is clear.
Paramount+ appears to have finally delivered on a more polished product that allows a little more flexibility for people watching at home and when bracketed with the intent to engage the kids, the stadiums, the standard of play across both competitions and the obvious enthusiasm of crowds, Australian domestic football looks to be sitting on a potential launch pad.
Now, with some friendly weather, excellent matches and, heaven forbid, a little effort from sections of media historically reluctant to climb aboard and support football, a fork in the road appears to be approaching.
Right now is the moment to get out to matches in ever-increasing numbers. This may well be the beginning of the change for which the domestic game has hoped and the A-League Women looms as the catalyst for it.
Join me on Saturday night at 7:45pm (AEDT) for a live blog of the Big Blue between Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory.
Brendan
Roar Pro
Apaway, good to see you back. Enjoy the day.
apaway
Roar Guru
Instant folk hero status.
apaway
Roar Guru
And lets remember that 5,000 is half the crowd Luton Town gets, and they're in the EPL!
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
What was the point of NFL Europe then. It was a massive loss making investment in spreading the game though it relied a lot on US soldiers. The NFL is the most outward looking of American sports organisations. NFL are trying to get players from overseas countries and they do have a worlwide following even though its quite small. The problem the NFL have is its the most impractical and expensive sport. Its mainly watched and not played even in the USA. Why would you want play a sport when only the quarterback gets to have all the fun, and the squad size is so massive. They really need schoools and colleges to make it work. NBA and MLB they actively work against international organisations promoting their sport, not fund them. People love playing basketball is the reason its popular around the world not because the NBA marketed it. NBA does however like getting worldwide revenue, but it doesn't like spending money overseas. MLB is the most insular , while baseball is not as wide international as basketball its a very popular sport in a lot of countries, and the MLB has huge number of foreign players. They really try to stop any international games and sabotage the Olympics.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
So no comment on pause rewind functionality being introduced. I find that I just watch the live show anyway and never use it. I though mr multitasking would be able to watch one game live and one game on the phone, plus wave a big flag around, plus eat a hot dog at the same time
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
The news has finally come in Tobin is out for the season with an ACL which is a disaster for Sydney and probably for the Matildas as well as I expected her to finally get into the team after this A-league season. Sydney looked good in the first half with more attackers to come into the team, but after Tobin was gone and the other defender getting a calf injury and their midfielders getting tired they didnt look any good. FIona Warts who was top scorer with Adelaide two seasons back was playing striker got a goal. I thought WSW were ordinary till Caceres came on in the second half is she any relation to Sydney FC Caceres I dont know but she was very good. CCM vs New, the ccm goal keeper kept them in the game with saves a and Ayres superheader finally beat her. WUN Perth I was totally mystified was Hannah Keane was playing wide instead of as striker. Particularly as a couple of chances were blown centrally, Western United they look like they wont repeat the sucess this season. Adel and Canberra the legacy of non selection of new players by Stajic, Milicic and Gustavson, means current Canberra superstar Milovojevic is lost to Serbia. IT was a thrilling match with an incredible ending. Roar MV I only saw the second half, Roar their best player seems to be Freir , MV had the better of play but Roar got the goals. MV best is their American Weinert.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Stu as my old boy says, the AFL guys can come talk to us when they have a genuine world cup
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
He didn't mention quality, he was referring to the fact that we in Football play against the world. We are not limited to a few suburbs in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
ahahahahah, and then there's Western Australian AFL b ogans. Does the statement/post you refer to seem to carry an underlying element of fear with it. I might be wrong but......there's that whiff about it
NickA
Roar Rookie
You can now believe it Waz!
Stuart Thomas
Expert
I think you might be right!
NickA
Roar Rookie
Yep. This is where it starts. You still see comments everywhere about the (lack of) quality, people not taking it seriously... and a lot of the time these are football people or football fans. That's the biggest killer for us. Not the non-football fans hating on football, the football fans hating on football.
Punter
Roar Rookie
Again, this word better, this is an opinion. I think the A-League is better than the AFL & the NRL, hence why I watch the A-League & not the other 2. However, that is just my opinion. However, I am not doubting that AFL & NRL is bigger than the A-League. Simple fact Football is the biggest sport in the world, internationally recognised in just about every country in the world. World cups, Olympics, Inter-continental cups involving the national sides makes fans of even the non-fans, this is something the AFL does not have, RL does a little. This is something basketball has over the NFL even though NFL is bigger than basketball in the US. Outside the US it's a different thing.
chris1
Roar Rookie
Well those private school kiddies were probably just parroting their rugby loving fathers lol
Garry
Roar Rookie
you could watch on a pc and have many tabs open like I do :happy: :happy: ps one game is away so you could attend the ALW and watch ALM on your phone too..theres nothing wrong with the timetable…from time to time compromises will always be required.
Kanggas2
Roar Rookie
Midfielder
Roar Guru
Stu So much of what the MLS have done could be copied and dropped into Australia the work they have done on social media is mind blowing. They have actually showed how to identify fans and very very very cleverly almost choose a demographic and then target market that demographic using social media... whilst the MSM continues to pound them... The astonishing part is we don't copy.... its bitter sweet but I put up five decent articles and one crap one on the MLS and at the time none made it to publication. This year they will put thu roughly 10.8 million in their regular season, their FIFA approved Liga MX V MLS month long cup [to be held each year now] had 1.3 million thu the gate, and their final series of somewhere between 16 to 24 games... say 20games @ 23K ... around 12.5 million thu the gate.... the MLS is exploding in growth... we should learn from it...
Stuart Thomas
Expert
Ah, see I coached in an exclusive private school. When a player made a mistake at training, they would laugh and say........uuuuggghhh, A-League!!!!!!!!! Strangely, that cohort was also the one that produced a certain A-League goal-keeper about to get his first crack at the big time.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
Spot on. The NZ timeslot is key.
The Llama
Roar Rookie
On top of a fantastic opening round for the womens A-League, there's a bit more good news for the APL and the upcoming mens competition. The Perth Glory license has been sold. Western United has completed its stadium at Tarneit and will play their home games there. I can also see Silver Lake's investment in the APL start to bear fruit for both parties.