These are just some of the best reasons to be watching the W-League and there's never been a better time to start.

Matildas Live

The Matildas are one of Australia’s most popular sporting teams, but the best way to watch many of them play is by attending a W-League game.

There are few better sights in Australian football than Emily van Egmond playing a pass to a full paced Ellie Carpenter while Brisbane Roar fans are treated to Clare Polkinghorne, Tameka Yallop, Elise Kellond-Knight and Katrina Gorry linking up on a weekly basis.

Watching Matilda teammates face off against each other for their clubs elevates the quality of the league and provides some entertaining and fascinating duels.

It should not be forgotten that the Matildas are currently ranked seventh in the world by Fifa, so there are many highly talented players who might not be in the national team but still have the ability to light up the W-League.

The Supporters

Crowds may not be huge, but they are passionate, family-friendly and love their football, with many fans organizing some committed and passionate supporter groups.

These supporters organize chants, pre-game gatherings and viewing parties to follow their teams and it’s a chance to be part of a community and to link up with other fans of women’s football. 

Crowd participation is almost entirely devoted to positively supporting their players, with negative chanting or heckling rare, even in tense on-field encounters.

Melbourne supporter group The Victory Vikings even voted on and awarded their own player of the season trophy to Casey Dumont this year, beginning their own tradition and strengthening their bond with the team.

It's a tight-knit fan experience unique to the W-League.

Rising Stars

The W-league has given plentiful opportunities to young players and long-time followers have seen players like Sam Kerr and Van Egmond debut at 15 years old, with coaches carrying on a proud tradition of giving chances to young players to prove themselves.

Kyra Cooney-Cross has enjoyed a breakout season for Western Sydney, while Mary Fowler and Karly Roestbakken’s performances earned them moves to Europe. Princess Ibini continues to excel at Sydney, while Ellie Carpenter has consistently impressed since making her debut as a 15-year-old in 2015.

Every season sees another young player given an opportunity to develop and excel in a professional environment. There's nothing more exciting than when a young star emerges and promoting youth is one of the best features of the W-League.  

 

High Quality Imports

The W-League has a track record of recruiting skilled international talent, often at the peak of their powers.  

American attacker Mallory Weber had a strong 2019/20 season with Adelaide United scoring four goals and entertaining with her pace and control. Melbourne City signed Serbian international Milica Mijatovic and re-signed Yukari Kinga of Japan, while cross-town rivals Victory have long admired their English captain Natasha Dowie and would have been thrilled by the output of U.S winger Darian Jenkins

This has been a long-standing feature of the W-League, in previous seasons international stars like Kim Little and Jess Fishlock laced up in our local league and more recently Savannah McCaskill and Sofia Huerta impressed at Sydney.

The W-League has consistently spoiled its fans with some excellent recruiting of highly accomplished players that we would not otherwise have the privilege of watching.

 

Individual Talent

Football is a team sport but results can be decided by single moments of genius.

The W-League has been the stage for a number of incredible individual moments throughout its history from a young Melina Ayres drilling a physics-defying long-range shot in 2018, to Princess Ibini’s stunning decider against Adelaide this season.

Alanna Kennedy is admired for her defensive skills but Sydney FC have been blessed by her ability to strike a free-kick to perfection. Highlights like these occur almost every round and every game is a chance for fans to see something special.

 

 

Careers In Football

The top-level professional women’s league is vital to football in Australia, it provides a goal for young players to work towards and plays a crucial role in maintaining the quality of the national team.

The FFA has ambitions to remain one of the top five women’s leagues in the world and the recent pay deals have been encouraging steps toward full-time professionalism for all players.

Australian footballers can aspire to a career without moving overseas and that should be celebrated.

Melbourne City

Melbourne City might not be your team, they might even be the club you love to hate, but what they have built in five years should be admired and hopefully will be emulated.

The club has invested heavily in players, coaches and facilities resulting in an undefeated season and Grand Final success in their first season followed up by four dominant seasons and some flawless football.

They recruit aggressively every season, adding Emily van Egmond and Ellie Carpenter to a team already stacked with internationals for the 2019/2020 season.

Captain Steph Catley described the setup at City in 2017 as "unlike any other club" she had played for. This kind of investment in women’s football creates a benchmark standard for other clubs to follow.

This Year Could Be Our Year

Although Melbourne City and Sydney FC have dominated recently, every team has quality players and the finals format gives every fan reason to be optimistic at the start of each season.

Melbourne Victory have maintained a strong record despite having undergone several squad overhauls and Perth Glory finished runners-up in 2019 and Western Sydney Wanderers enjoyed their best season in 2020.

Every current team except one (sorry Adelaide) have either finished in the top four or made the Grand Final at some point. It’s a very competitive league and every season has the potential for surprise.

Easy To Watch

The best way to support the league is to get to a stadium but for those who can’t, there are a variety of ways to watch.

ABC and Foxtel have the television rights, but the MyFootball app is a great way to view the matches. If you can’t get to a screen, the W-League twitter account has play-by-play commentary providing excellent detailed coverage.

They’re Everywhere (Well...Almost)

The W-League has teams in six out of the eight states and territories with only Tasmania and the Northern Territory missing out. It's a sensational geographical presence and hopefully further expansion is on the horizon.

But until then people in many parts of the country still have a team to identify with. So if you haven’t already, pick a team, get to a game, tune in or log on and enjoy what the professional league has to offer.