Australia’s future in women’s football is at a crossroads. The Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) has issued a stark warning: the country risks losing more and more of its best female talent to the lucrative leagues in the US and Europe unless the A-League Women (ALW) is fully professionalized.
The PFA’s annual report, released on Tuesday, paints a sobering picture. The report highlights that the rapid growth of professional women’s football in the US and Europe is creating a significant challenge for the ALW, which is struggling to compete for top talent. The report argues that the country’s hosting of the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup presents a crucial opportunity to accelerate the transition to a fully professional league by the 2026-27 season.
The report’s findings are based on a survey of ALW players, which revealed a stark reality: the majority of players are forced to juggle their football careers with other jobs due to the low salaries in the league. This financial burden is impacting player performance, potentially hindering their development and ultimately leading to talented athletes leaving the sport altogether.
The ALW has already witnessed a significant exodus of its top talent to overseas leagues in recent years, and the report warns that the current situation could lead to the league losing its mid-level talent as well, leaving it with a hollowed-out roster. This trend could have devastating consequences for the national team, the Matildas, which recently captivated the nation with their run to the semi-finals of the 2023 Women’s World Cup on home soil.
While the Matildas’ success ignited a surge in ALW attendance, the report emphasizes that the league will always struggle to retain players if it cannot provide them with a viable livelihood.
The report acknowledges that transitioning the ALW to a fully professional league would require significant investment, but it argues that the cost of inaction would be even greater. The report states that the data clearly shows that the ALW cannot afford to stand still, and that it is time for those who recognize the potential for growth in women’s football to step up and invest in the sport’s future.
