W-League ready to fight to keep stars as overseas leagues circle
The W-League is set to kick off missing some big stars including Matildas captain Sam Kerr, but league bosses say they are ready to fight against the lure of big overseas clubs.
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W-League chiefs insist they’re ready to stave off cashed-up European clubs coming for their star players as the global football landscape shifts beneath their feet.
Female football’s sleeping giant has awoken, as vast growth in professionalism and resources in Europe’s top leagues are luring ambitious Matildas away from traditional powerhouse competitions in the US and Australia.
Already the W-League is preparing for life without its biggest drawcard after Sam Kerr spurned home for the first time in favour of a yet-to-be-confirmed European destination, rumoured to be one of the hugely successful Olympique Lyonnais, Paris Saint-Germain or Chelsea.
And the Matildas captain isn’t the only national representative opting to take her game out of her comfort zone.
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Veteran striker Lisa De Vanna who, like Kerr, has returned to the W-League every season since its 2008 inception, is scoring goals for Italian outfit Fiorentina in the women’s Serie A.
Melbourne Victory will be without Matildas forward Emily Gielnik, whose breakout year earned her a contract with Frauen-Bundesliga heavyweights Bayern Munich.
And last year Alex Chidiac left Adelaide United for Spain’s Primera Division Atletico Madrid.
The Matildas were hit with Europe’s rise the hard way via World Cup losses to less-heralded Italy and Norway, and coach Ante Milicic warned Australia could be left behind without proper investment.
At club level the impact is already apparent, with many European campaigns running in direct conflict with the W-League - though some, like Tameka Yallop and Aivi Luik, play in Norway during the US season.
The W-League and American National Women’s Soccer League schedule their seasons to complement each other and have formed a strategic partnership to retain the large cohort of players who flit between both competitions.
But part of the lure of Europe is playing only a single season each year, with the added carrot of Champions League.
“We are in direct conflict (with Europe), but I think as Europe grows the NWSL will also be in direct conflict,” W-League boss Greg O’Rourke said at Thursday’s launch.
“We’ve lost three Matildas this season. We might lose two or three players next season.
“The other thing is how do you attract more internationals as well, so it’s a two-way street? How do you get to a conversation where you not only talk about losing players but attracting global players?
“We now have 30 internationals contracted in our league this season from 10 different countries.
“We’re not going to stay here and just watch it dilute, no way.”
Matildas legend Julie Dolan described the W-League as being “precariously placed” on the calendar.
“That’s something FFA will probably be really mindful of,” Dolan said.
“How do we keep this fantastic league going and keep all our great players here?
“The public have been inspired by the W-League and Matildas so we want to keep that happening in Australia.
“But we can’t if we don’t have the quality players?”
Matildas defensive stalwart Alanna Kennedy is among those to have thought hard about a move to the continent.
“I definitely have,” Kennedy said.
“I’ve had discussions with my managers and have considered it.
“With the way women’s football is growing and the attention the Matildas have had, there’ll definitely be players who’ve had offers and deals in Europe.
“I’m sure I’m one of quite a few who have definitely considered it, though I’ve obviously decided to stay in Australia for another season.
“In the next couple of years there’ll only be more and more players looking to test the waters in other leagues.”
O’Rourke said part of the solution was commercialising the W-League/NWSL partnership, potentially through a cup tie whereby each year’s W-League champions play the NWSL champions.
He didn’t see a danger in tying the W-League to its US counterpart, even with a heavily European and increasingly Asian backdrop.
“In the shorter term it will be advantageous, but ultimately if it hits the heights we think it will where it’s equal to the men’s league and we’re playing for much longer, then everyone will have to find their own way,” O’Rourke said.
“But that’s more than five years out in my opinion.”