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Never has there been a better time for the A-League Women competition to succeed.
Off the back of a home World Cup that smashed ticket sales records and drew the biggest average audience in more than 20 years, it’s the perfect opportunity to rejuvenate a competition that has struggled for relevance and viewers.
Current and former Matildas Chloe Logarzo, Elise Kellond-Knight, Kyah Simon and Cortnee Vine ahead of the start of the A-League this weekend.Credit: Getty
As the first week of the season gets underway, 10 of the 12 A-League Women teams have already seen record memberships, including Sydney FC which had a 40 per cent spike in subscriptions after announcing the re-signing of World Cup superstar Cortnee Vine.
The league’s commissioner, Nick Garcia, said the World Cup had put the domestic competition in its best position in years, but cautioned they still had many challenges.
“We [A-League] were really excited about the women’s World Cup. I said to a lot of people in Australia and New Zealand, ‘you don’t know how big this is going to be’, even now, looking retrospectively I don’t think I even realised how big it was going to be,” Garcia said.
“It’s definitely an enormous opportunity, I’d say it’s the best place we’ve been for a number of years.”
“We want to make sure that of all those fans that have gone and watched the Matildas, or any other team in the World Cup, it doesn’t end there. The journey continues for the Matildas of today, Matildas of tomorrow in the A-League Women, and this is the chance to kind of satisfy that fan thirst that you’ve developed over the last couple of months.”
“I think it’s a huge opportunity … but I caution that it will be a slow build.”
Matildas and Melbourne Victory goalkeeper Lydia Williams said the domestic competition can’t just rely on fans to drive engagement. She says, for the competition to reap the rewards of the World Cup it needs to come from the top down.
“[It] has to start from up high and what they offer at the administration levels for the players in terms of for them to be the best athletes they can be,” said Williams referring to facilities, venues and the professionalism of the league.
Kyah Simon is one of the Matildas stars who will be playing in the A-League Women competition.Credit: Getty Images
“And then it’s a lot of responsibility for the players to go out there and perform and actually play attractive football, bring in the crowds and have crowd interaction after the game.”
For the first time in its history the competition will have a full 22-game home and away season. For players looking for stability and long-term contracts, the shorter A-League women’s seasons have driven them overseas.
It’s also made it harder for fans to stay engaged, said Matildas’ Kyah Simon, who signed with the Central Coast Mariners for the 2023-24 season.
“The home and away season is first and foremost a number one thing in terms of football and performance, just for the players,” Simon said.
“Creating a brand that’s long enough to pick up people along the way, not short enough where you blink and it’s over, I think that’s really crucial in terms of that and retaining those people that are coming along to the game.”
Canadian goalkeeper Lysianne Proulx, who was on the other side of Australia’s do-or-die group stage victory, signed with Melbourne City.
Proulx said she was amazed at the Australian fandom during the World Cup, including the sold-out games and vocal crowds. The 24-year-old said if she was ever going to come to Australia, “now is the time to do it”.
For Vine, who said she wasn’t tempted to jet off to an overseas league, more needs to be done to encourage national players to stay in Australia.
“I think it’s so important [retaining talent]. I think it’s one of the main things we should be focusing on, to bring more of the girls [Matildas players] back,” she said.
The A-League Women’s opening weekend is expected to draw record crowds, with Sydney FC hopeful they can get more than 10,000 people into Allianz Stadium. The record standalone crowd for a women’s match is 11,595.
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