In 2017, women’s football in Australia saw sell out crowds in Newcastle and Penrith as the Matildas jumped to number four in the FIFA rankings.

Locally, Melbourne City became the first team in Australian football history to win three consecutive Championships and support for the W-League grew in numbers with a 52 percent increase in attendance at matches during the 2017/18 season.

Across the board women’s football is growing in popularity but supporters of the game continue to be left frustrated and confused about the game and where it is headed.

 

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So this Female Football Week, The Women’s Game spoke with FFA’s Head of Women’s Football, Emma Highwood to discuss the issues affecting the W-League and Matildas.

One of the main issues during the most recent W-League season was broadcasting.  

Fans were unhappy when there was no broadcast of the game between Perth Glory and Canberra United where Sam Kerr scored a first-half hat-trick. There were also weeks where there were simply no W-League matches on Fox Sports or SBS Viceland.

However, with all these issues, this season still saw a jump from 17 televised games to 27 including full broadcast of the finals series plus extra streaming services on selected games for Fox Sports customers.

Fans overseas could also enjoy the W-League with a new streaming service and while it sometimes didn’t work, it looked to be a step in the right direction.

“We have come out and said we would like every game to be broadcast,” Highwood said.

“I think it is great the fans are eager to see every moment of the W-League and I think that is an indication of how good the product is, which we are really pleased about,” she said.

W-League broadcasting has come a long way since season one where only 13 matches were shown on ABC1 and some, including semi-finals, were on a delayed broadcast as they coincided with other sporting events.

It was in season six FOX SPORTS broadcast W-League games and while it may have only been two matches due to ABC1 still having the rights the rest, it showed the league had the potential to grow.

In season eight FOX SPORTS officially came on as a broadcasting partner alongside ABC TV.

Highwood has said ahead of season 11 of the W-League FFA are focusing on trying to broadcast as many games as possible

“Streaming is a great option that we will be looking at,” she said.

While broadcast has grown, one thing has remained the same since the 2012/13 season and that is the number of games played.

Currently, each team plays 12 games with two byes despite the introduction of new W-League franchises Western Sydney Wanderers and Melbourne City during this period.

“We’ve got to work through how we get there and that is something we’ll been working on in the next few months to determine what is that next step in the W-League,” Highwood said.

One issue facing a full home and away season is timing it with other leagues in the world.

It was only two weeks ago the NWSL pre-season started with the season kicking off in mid-March.

If the W-League were to have a full home and away season with 18 rounds (16 games) plus finals series, there is a chance it could eat into the pre-season of NWSL.

But an earlier start to the W-League season would avoid this, it might mean players who play in the European and Asian leagues during the off-season could be starting the season even later than they do now.

There is also the option of adding another team into the league but the recent attempt by the Central Coast Mariners to come back to the W-League was delayed in June last year after FFA informed the club the 2017/18 season would remain at nine teams.

Outside the original W-League teams, former NSL side South Melbourne, who have already put their hands up for an A-League license, also believe they can support a W-League team with their local talent.

While any team wanting to be part of the W-League is welcomed, there needs to be consideration for the sustainability of teams. 

Is there enough local and experienced players to support another W-League team, that can be competitive?

Can the new team survive financially and competitively in the league over the coming years?

Do they have the facilities to accommodate a team and matches?

These are all factors, which need to be considered before deciding on how to expand the league.

While FFA is keen to progress and grow the W-League in the coming seasons, there are many options they are considering.

“It is just about prioritising what is the best investment in the W-League,” Highwood said

“Is it 10 teams? Is it full home and away? Is it more broadcast?

“All of those things could require additional investment and we will have to make some strategic choices,” she said.

While W-League will be looked at in the coming months and decisions will be made about the ways to progress the league, FFA has definite plans in place for the Matildas and the way forward for female footballers.

FFA are looking to ensure the Matildas are playing regular games so they continue to develop as a team and stay high in the rankings. Ultimately ensuring qualification for the 2019 World Cup, where they can be a top seeded country.

While the World Cup in France is a short-term goal, there is still work to be done so all players can one day be fulltime professional footballers. 

A number of players now earn an income from football and personal endorsements but there are still a number of players, even at national level, who still don’t have football as their fulltime career.

While the change to wages of Australia’s professional footballers has only happened recently, players are still subsidising their time as a professional athletes with fulltime work for additional income.

In December 2017, the Norwegian FA announced their women’s team would receive a 2.5 million krone (AUD$413,705) pay rise, which would see senior male and female players earning the same wage.

The WNT had consistently achieved better results on the international stage having competed in every World Cup since the first tournament in 1991 and every UEFA Women’s Championship since 1987.

The MNT have not qualified for a major event since 2000.

Norway’s male players agreed to take a pay cut to achieve parity.

However, in Australia, the journey to pay parity is still an ongoing journey.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement, which came into affect ahead of the W-League season 10, was a step in the right direction but women’s football in Australia is still on this journey.

“We’re on a journey to gender equality,” Highwood said.

“It is about getting to a point where females can aspire to reach the top of football and in the future be earning the same salaries their male counterparts and viewed commercially in the same way.

“We need people to view women’s football not as just a development league but actually as a genuine commercial asset and that is the journey we are on with the W-League.

“We’ve got some way to go, all women’s sport do.”