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General A Leagues thread (Men and Women) 2025/26 season

grazorblade said:
Would separate womans only clubs help?
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I don't think having separate women's only clubs would help because it wouldn't be sustainable in the long term given that teams like Canberra United are already running on a shoestring budget, and the current financial model means we won't have any of the ALW sides follow suit with a team like London City Lionesses any time soon, in addition to the fact that players are still more in favour of keeping clubs integrated with their male counterparts rather than having them as standalone ones.
 
rebelliousfeminist974 said:
I don't think having separate women's only clubs would help because it wouldn't be sustainable in the long term given that teams like Canberra United are already running on a shoestring budget, and the current financial model means we won't have any of the ALW sides follow suit with a team like London City Lionesses any time soon, in addition to the fact that players are still more in favour of keeping clubs integrated with their male counterparts rather than having them as standalone ones.
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Another big difference is how quickly women's CLUB football is growing in Europe, compared to how miniscule the growth of women's club football here is by comparison.

You have Manchester United women's team able to pack out Old Trafford for certain games. Barcelona's women's team able to pack Camp Nou for El Clasico, and then you look at how poorly exposed the women's clubs are here, despite the fact that the Matildas are now becoming increasingly popular.
 
Although there are a lot of Aussie males that won’t watch women’s sport full stop, the biggest difference between Aus and Europe seems to be the fact that only a small minority of women in Aus watch women’s football. With the exception of the Matildas.
 
well I find it challenging comparing EU to here but understand the point.
I sure wouldn't say our W club football isn't miniscule talking our own standards.
I notice the growth has been immense - the fields I frequent and at Rep levels the girls side of the ledger is damn busy and popular, fields are packed on Sundays.
The question more than anything therefore WHY are the mass's who go and pack out the Matilda games here not going to APLW games, lets say 20% of them ?.
All those screaming kids mums etc - that heap of them are playing at grass roots clubs where are they for the main game here ?
OK none of the major known girls are playing here but wheres the passion to follow their X APLW club ?
 
LFC said:
well I find it challenging comparing EU to here but understand the point.
I sure wouldn't say our W club football isn't miniscule talking our own standards.
I notice the growth has been immense - the fields I frequent and at Rep levels the girls side of the ledger is damn busy and popular, fields are packed on Sundays.
The question more than anything therefore WHY are the mass's who go and pack out the Matilda games here not going to APLW games, lets say 20% of them ?.
All those screaming kids mums etc - that heap of them are playing at grass roots clubs where are they for the main game here ?
OK none of the major known girls are playing here but wheres the passion to follow their X APLW club ?
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Because it's not cool to say you're going to a football unless it's Matilda's maybe even socceroos.

We live in a world where AFLw is more social acceptable then going to an a league w match and seeing the next kerr or fowler.

It's up to the suits to change that perception to be honest
 
rebelliousfeminist974 said:
Unfortunately the PFA A-League Women report for season 2024-25 says that's the case and the statistics are quite damning, with ALW having the lowest salaries out of all women's sports leagues in Australia and being the least preferred league compared to its overseas counterparts amongst players, in addition to a myriad of other problems.
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LFC said:
well I find it challenging comparing EU to here but understand the point.
I sure wouldn't say our W club football isn't miniscule talking our own standards.
I notice the growth has been immense - the fields I frequent and at Rep levels the girls side of the ledger is damn busy and popular, fields are packed on Sundays.
The question more than anything therefore WHY are the mass's who go and pack out the Matilda games here not going to APLW games, lets say 20% of them ?.
All those screaming kids mums etc - that heap of them are playing at grass roots clubs where are they for the main game here ?
OK none of the major known girls are playing here but wheres the passion to follow their X APLW club ?
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The perennial question. How to convert participation into elite spectatorship.

I am confident part of the answer is media presence - in paid content and sports section coverage. Apart from Season 1, the A League has had no signficant (or competent promotion). No promotion, no coverage, means no buzz, no water cooler conversation. The A League is like the guy at the party who stands by himself in the corner with one drink all night.
 
aflw maybe acceptable down there but pretty un noticeable up north that I can tell but ok.
I tend to think the grass roots growth far outweighs the need/re support to W games - for eg yes a strange thought - like EV cars that has had its challenges not having the infrastructure but people still unsure sitting on the fence.

The massive W movement beneath its surprising not even a decent % attend APLW games - afterall womens/Jnr growth in the game is big imo.
So is the Matildas packed out games are mostly "fad" "cool" "bandwaggoner" supporter base by your post therefore providing very askewed stats and outlook.
I would have expected APLW teams would have gained far more acceptance and being embraced than the APLM league.
They have not suffered from old sockah yaddayadda its fresh new dawn the way I see it.

Interesting FS and funny last sentence.
 
I actually think there could be some merit in hiatusing the entire league. Mens and womens.

Come back in Winter 2027. Align the whole thing with the pyramid. Get an udnerstanding as to where western united are at and give Canbera an extra 6 months to get themselves going.

The argument of crowds dwindling when coming up against NRL and AFL is a moot point when we will see an average crowd of in the 7000s this season.

The mens league cannot keep going on this current trajectory.
 
CentreHalf said:
I actually think there could be some merit in hiatusing the entire league. Mens and womens.

Come back in Winter 2027. Align the whole thing with the pyramid. Get an udnerstanding as to where western united are at and give Canbera an extra 6 months to get themselves going.

The argument of crowds dwindling when coming up against NRL and AFL is a moot point when we will see an average crowd of in the 7000s this season.

The mens league cannot keep going on this current trajectory.
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How do the crowd numbers compare to the NBL (Australian domestic Basketball comp)? Maybe we should be ok with crowds of 7k - I think more games should be played at suburban grounds. The crowd at the Roar game was a way better look played on the Sunshine Coast, opposed to playing at Suncorp stadium & seeing a completely empty grandstand. Same with the SFC & WSW games being played at Leichhardt
 
SocceroosFan said:
How do the crowd numbers compare to the NBL (Australian domestic Basketball comp)? Maybe we should be ok with crowds of 7k - I think more games should be played at suburban grounds. The crowd at the Roar game was a way better look played on the Sunshine Coast, opposed to playing at Suncorp stadium & seeing a completely empty grandstand. Same with the SFC & WSW games being played at Leichhardt
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NBL is about to go past the A-league in terms of averages. Either this season or next.

You can't be okay with crowds of 7k when the stadium costs are what they are. Suncorp, SFS, AAMI all incredibly expensive.

Hiatus the league for 9 months from May 2026 to end of February 2027. Add Canberra and determine what is happening with WU, or bring in another from there (Sunshine coast, Tassie, Gold Coast)

Work out where teams are actually going to play. Why isnt City playing down in SE Melbourne?? Just force them too. Get Roar out of Suncorp. Getting Phoenix out of the cake tin.

Align football from top to bottom as a winter sport.
 
I think things have been a bit rushed with the A league, mens and womens. It's a relatively new competition. What's needed is time and very good management at the top. We have plenty of only one of those. We will make it in the end.
 
CentreHalf said:
I actually think there could be some merit in hiatusing the entire league. Mens and womens.

Come back in Winter 2027. Align the whole thing with the pyramid. Get an udnerstanding as to where western united are at and give Canbera an extra 6 months to get themselves going.

The argument of crowds dwindling when coming up against NRL and AFL is a moot point when we will see an average crowd of in the 7000s this season.

The mens league cannot keep going on this current trajectory.
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Average this season so far is 8,677 not 7,000 according to Austadiums. Sydney v WSW and some of the other “big/derby” games will boost that. Remember WU are in “hibernation” so they won’t be dragging the average down. Even Macarthur got 7,605 at home two weeks ago!
 
CentreHalf said:
NBL is about to go past the A-league in terms of averages. Either this season or next.

You can't be okay with crowds of 7k when the stadium costs are what they are. Suncorp, SFS, AAMI all incredibly expensive.

Hiatus the league for 9 months from May 2026 to end of February 2027. Add Canberra and determine what is happening with WU, or bring in another from there (Sunshine coast, Tassie, Gold Coast)

Work out where teams are actually going to play. Why isnt City playing down in SE Melbourne?? Just force them too. Get Roar out of Suncorp. Getting Phoenix out of the cake tin.

Align football from top to bottom as a winter sport.
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I hear what you're saying about crowds and ratings but the most important thing is the lads are playing. What we really need to build to is proper stadiums p and r and a bloody transfer system
 
Kitwally said:
Average this season so far is 8,677 not 7,000 according to Austadiums. Sydney v WSW and some of the other “big/derby” games will boost that. Remember WU are in “hibernation” so they won’t be dragging the average down. Even Macarthur got 7,605 at home two weeks ago!
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We are 4 rounds in. It is only going to drop from here, especially through the Xmas and new year period.

City, Macarthur and Perth will drive the average down throughout the year. Even Mariners.

Its a horrible start and they can't rely on Melbourne derbies to get 25k anymore.
 
CentreHalf said:
We are 4 rounds in. It is only going to drop from here, especially through the Xmas and new year period.

City, Macarthur and Perth will drive the average down throughout the year. Even Mariners.

Its a horrible start and they can't rely on Melbourne derbies to get 25k anymore.
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Attendances are down across the board in both A-League Men and A-League Women because the stadiums used in A-League Men are too large and obviously throughout Christmas and New Year's most of the attendance will be for the summer of cricket. I'd say temporarily have the clubs share the same stadia for both men's and women's games until attendances go back up or have better marketing if that doesn't work.
 
rebelliousfeminist974 said:
Attendances are down across the board in both A-League Men and A-League Women because the stadiums used in A-League Men are too large and obviously throughout Christmas and New Year's most of the attendance will be for the summer of cricket. I'd say temporarily have the clubs share the same stadia for both men's and women's games until attendances go back up or have better marketing if that doesn't work.
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Without doubt the issue of oversized stadiums has been the single most significant problem the A League has faced since Season 1, and 20 years on nothing has changed except that Wanderers, who once had a perfectly sized stadium, now have one that is far too big.

Only Adelaide, Auckland, and Victory (marginally now, sadly) play in stadiums that match to attendances. The issue affects television impact and the live experience. If I had to rate the tv atmosphere experience of watching the other clubs out 10 it would be:

Brisbane 0
Jets. 0
Wanderers 3
Perth 3
Sydney 5 (at SFS)
Nix 3
M City 2

It is not only the size of the stadiums - the multiuse issue is a constant problem for availability and the playing surfaces. Even Grand Finals can't guarantee a decent surface. I vividly recall being at Suncorp for the Grand Final Brisbane versus Perth, and the pitch looked like a cow paddock. It markedly affected the quality of the game.

The surge in the MLS was driven by the construction of appropriately sized stadiums owned by the club owners. Sadly, there is no sign whatsoever of anything similar happening here.
 
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