A-League Women seeks to capitalise on World Cup fever and avoid momentum loss | OneFootball

The A-League Women will launch its 2023-24 season with a standalone round in October in a bid to capitalise on unprecedented interest in the World Cup, as warnings are given that there will never be a better opportunity for football in Australia.

Traditionally the shorter ALW season starts during the A-League Men campaign, but this year the men will kick off one week later.

Western United player and fringe Matilda Chloe Logarzo said her club, and the rest of the league, was committed to making the most of the huge interest in women’s football sparked by the Matildas’ thrilling run to the semi-finals.

“They see something that they can capitalise on – especially now with the Women’s World Cup – and what is possible, and there’s no ceiling,” she said. “If we’re going to do it, it’s going to be right now.”

Western United made the A-League Women grand final in their inaugural season last campaign, but would still attract less than 1,000 fans to games at times.

That’s a far cry from the record attendances that have filled stadiums at the Women’s World Cup, and the unprecedented television audiences. The Matildas’ loss to England in Wednesday’s semi-final was the highest-rated TV program since the current ratings system was established in 2001.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino reported on Friday the Women’s World Cup generated over US$570m (AU$889m) in revenue. “So we broke even, we didn’t lose any money,” he said. “This World Cup here has been truly transformational. Not only in Australia, or in New Zealand but all over the world.”

Nick Garcia, commissioner of the A-Leagues said his organisation wanted to carry on the “incredible momentum” of the Matildas into the local 22-game season.

“We designed this year’s schedule with a standalone weekend,” he said. “This is the longest-ever season, with three new teams added in three seasons, including the Central Coast Mariners women who join us this year.”

The Mariners had competed in the competition then known as the W-League in 2008 and 2009 but pulled out due to a lack of funding. They will return this year and are the only club at this stage to commit to holding both men’s and women’s A-League matches at the same venue, at Central Coast Stadium.

Former Newcastle Jets and Canberra United and now Mariners defender Taren King said that commitment underscores the importance of the revived women’s team.

“That’s one of the key ideas that’s come out of the Mariners, and showcases how strong their stance is for putting women’s football at the forefront of people’s minds,” she said.

There are early indications an increase in interest flowing from the World Cup may be forthcoming. The A-League Women is on track to smash its the record of around 9,000 for its program of free passes for under 16s. Roughly 7,000 people have already signed up, including 2,000 in the past week alone.

Sydney FC women’s membership drive is tracking at 40% higher than its previous best, and still has two months to go before the season. The Sky Blues are targeting 1,000 members.

These early indicators are in the hundreds and low thousands however. Those in the game talk privately about not really knowing the World Cup’s impact until the first A-League Women match on 14 October.

Logarzo is hopeful fans would retain an interest.

“We’ve always spoken about how Australia is a sports-loving nation,” she said. “So, for us to really get a return on what we’re investing in and not just allowing this to be something that we dwindle away in the next couple of months, we need to continue to have that support.”

Injured Matildas and Melbourne Victory player Elise Kellond-Knight said the World Cup set a high bar for entertainment, and the challenge was for the A-League Women to match it.

“Great stadiums, full houses, just the whole production has been amazing,” she said. “No one can ever replicate the World Cup – it’s just a once in a moment type thing – but we need to do our best to do that.”

She called for greater investment and for the A-League Women to be treated in the same way as the men’s competition.

“The girls need to be playing in good facilities fans want to go to. I also think that we need to pump a lot more investment into the facilities we’re actually training at,” she said. “And we need to be on full-time 12-month contracts where we have access to staff 24/7.”

The salary cap for the A-League Women increased from $500,000 to $600,00 for the coming year. The minimum wage for players in the competition is $25,000.

Header image: [Photograph: Patrick Stevenson]