On Saturday afternoon, three days after the Matildas played Uzbekistan in front of a sell-out crowd, I stood outside Commbank Stadium waiting for the gates to open ahead of the Western Sydney Wanderers vs Sydney FC doubleheader. The women’s teams would play ahead of the men, with kick-off scheduled for 5pm.
But at 4.45pm, not a single person in line had entered the stadium.
I had read that gates would open at 4.45pm but thought surely that was a mistake. Opening gates a mere 15 minutes before kick-off would mean most fans wouldn’t be able to get into the stadium before the game began — which was exactly what happened. Barely anyone was inside by the time the announcer read the list of players. The women’s teams had to start playing in front of an almost empty stadium.
It’s astounding that in the same week the Matildas secured their spot at the Olympics in front of 50,000 people, match organisers couldn’t open the gates in time for most fans to see the start of one of the biggest derbies of the A-League season. If you were a fan wanting to make the most of the occasion by watching the warmups and cheering the players onto the field, a key part of the match-going experience, you had no chance. If this had happened before the men’s game, there would’ve been an uproar. Why was it acceptable at a women’s match?
Following the extraordinary success of the Matildas in the Women’s World Cup, there has been extensive media coverage on how women’s football is on the up and up (not to mention the current media frenzy over the allegations surrounding captain Sam Kerr). Politicians have been quick to promise increased funding and better facilities for women’s sport. In August 2023, the Albanese government pledged $200 million, declaring the Matildas had “changed sport forever”. This funding is set to kick in this year.
In the meantime, as a match-going Sydney FC Women member, I’m yet to see the inspiration the Matildas provided translate into improved conditions for women across the A-League. I have loved going to home games at Leichhardt Oval, sitting on the hill and cheering the team on (and there’s always been plenty of time to grab food, get settled, and watch the players come onto the field). Seeing young girls and boys flock to the front of the stands at the end of each game to say hi to the players, whom they all know by name, is lovely to witness.
However, I’ve also peered over running tracks to watch games in venues made for athletics, not football, while nearby stadiums were vacant. I’ve watched as subs have sat on plastic seats on the sidelines with no protection from the scorching sun or pouring rain. And at the away double header I attended on Saturday, the women’s game felt almost like an afterthought. When I bought tickets, the event start time was listed as 7.45pm — the kick-off time for the men’s match. The confirmation email and digital ticket said the same. There was no mention of the 5pm women’s game also included in the ticket.
Every single player in the current Matildas squad cut their teeth in the A-League at some point in their careers, and it’s clear that it’s the best place for future Matildas to develop their skills. Many current Tillies players, including Cortnee Vine, Michelle Heyman and Tameka Yallop, still ply their trade there. What else can we do to provide them with the support they deserve?
Letting fans into the stadium on time would be a pretty good start.
media coverage of the women’s event was limited to two paragraphs in the Guardian advising of the score after the game had finished
then extensive bit by bit reporting of the men’s game
nothing that I saw in the SMH
it’s not just them either – the ABC hardly covers women’s sport at all, even with a female host on Offsiders
In one’s biased opinion it’s evidence of RW MSM’s obsession with traditional men’s sports of AFL and NRL, not too bothered by men’s A-League football, but paranoid about losing more women and kids to women’s A-League football and global opportunities.
We should all follow a certain satirical web site and call the Socceroos the Male Matildas till women get real equal treatment.
Well said. The good old double standard is raised high.
The entire A-League has reverted to the bad old days before the Lowy family spent so much treasure to reform it. I consider the management group the biggest drawback to the game in recent history. In this situation, what happens to the Men’s game will be reflected even worse on the women’s version since it has not yet been at the high end for very long.
At present only the NRL and to a lesser extent the ARU take their women’s version seriously (the WAFL is a farce in terms of its exposure and structure). The Australian Professional Leagues outfit are an affront to the nation at present and hampering the game’s future development.
I’m convinced the WAFL only exists to keep the game in the headlines during the off season. Prove me wrong.
Yep, an exercise in pure cynicism to compete with football and A-League, including the crashing of local women’s AFL already on the ground…..
The WAFL is the West Australian Football League, presumably you meant the AFLW (Australian Football League Women’s)?
My take on Saturday’s fiasco (probably biased, I’m also a Sydney FC member) is that it reflected the Wanderers’ less than total commitment to their women’s team, also evidenced by the fact that most of the WSW women’s home games are played at their training centre rather than a proper stadium like Leichhardt.
This attitude isn’t confined to WSW tho, the media rarely reports on ALW games despite the league’s connection to the Tillies, while football’s infrastructure gap grows as the women’s game booms. Most of the $200 million you mention will inevitably go to AFL, cricket and other less-played sports.