In the winter of 2023, the Matildas didn’t just play football, they made history. More than 11.5 million Australians watched their World Cup semi-final against England — the most-viewed TV program in Australian history, according to OzTAM data. Streets filled with fans, fan zones overflowed, and for a fleeting moment, women’s football wasn’t a niche sport, it was the beating heart of the nation.
But now, over a year later, the energy has waned. Despite record participation rates in grassroots football, the A-League Women (ALW) has struggled to capture and sustain the public’s attention.
According to a recent Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) report, only 50% of ALW players are on full-time contracts, and nearly one in five players are considering early retirement due to financial instability.
Melbourne Victory star Beattie Goad announced her retirement at just 27, citing the competition’s part-time nature as unsustainable. She’s a three-cap Matilda and a title-winner with both Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory.
She wasn’t alone. In March 2024, her teammate and seven-time Matilda Emma Checker declared she’d retire at 28 to secure a job outside football. And in October, former Matilda’s great Elise Kellond-Knight also stepped away after 16 years in the game, again, due to financial strain.
These are elite athletes juggling second jobs and uncertain futures in what should be a thriving professional league. For a competition that should be riding a wave of national pride, this is more than disappointing, it’s a structural failure.
While the Matildas ignited the country, the ALW is still fighting for visibility. Despite the Matildas’ extraordinary success, there’s been little impact on league attendance and broadcast numbers. The average ALW crowd size in 2023–24 was just over 2,400 people per game, a modest increase from previous years, but nowhere near what the World Cup buzz should have fuelled.
Even the launch of the 2024–25 season came with a whimper. The Guardian described it as having a “quiet build-up,” reflecting the broader issue of under-promotion. Where was the media hype, the marketing campaign, the sense of occasion? The stars are there with players such as Cortnee Vine, Michelle Heyman, Alex Chidiac. But without consistent media presence, they remain invisible to casual fans.
Then there’s scheduling. Too many A-League Women matches are tucked away in poor time slots or played in hard-to-access suburban grounds. This isn’t just a football issue; it’s a visibility issue. Fans can’t attend games they don’t know about, or can’t get to. Doubleheaders with men’s games, while well-intentioned, often result in women’s matches playing second fiddle. They deserve standalone stages, not shared spotlights.
And while Football Australia has confirmed a new men’s National Second Tier launching in 2025. There’s no equivalent plan for women, no national second-tier league, no promotion and relegation pathway. The development pipeline for female players ends abruptly at the elite level. That’s not just short-sighted — it’s neglectful.
So, what needs to happen?
Full-time professionalism must become the standard. As the PFA has made clear, a semi-professional structure will only deliver semi-professional outcomes. Better wages, longer contracts, and post-career planning are essential if we want athletes to commit long-term.
Football Australia and the APL must lead with vision. As Football Australia unveils a new national second-tier men’s competition in 2025, the glaring lack of a second-tier pathway for women is striking. How can we build depth without structure?
Media partners and broadcasters must treat the ALW like a premium product. That means storytelling, promotion, and regular prime-time coverage, not burying games on digital-only platforms or at inaccessible hours. ALW matches should be promoted with the same energy and visibility as the men’s games. Tapping into streaming platforms, pre-match content, and post-game analysis can help generate interest beyond the core fan base.
Clubs must step up, not just in funding but in identity. Women’s teams cannot remain side projects or afterthoughts to the men’s program. Equal access to training facilities, medical care, and media teams should be the norm.
And fans must keep showing up. If you cheered for the Matildas, consider turning up for Western United or Melbourne Victory. Bring your kids. Buy the jersey. Follow the league. Push your club to do more. The spark lit by the Matildas can’t burn without fuel. Attending games, engaging online, and demanding better from the institutions that govern football will keep the pressure on.
I saw it for myself—during the World Cup, families with young girls packed into fan zones, strangers high-fived over goals, and jerseys sold out nationwide. That kind of cultural moment doesn’t come around often. We can’t afford to treat it as a blip.
The Matildas lit the fire. Now it’s on the A-League Women — and all of us — to keep it burning.
