Matildas striker Kyah Simon says W-League season must be longer
WHILE Kyah Simon believes women’s football is heading in the right direction, the Matildas star thinks extending the W-League season must be the priority.
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WHILE Kyah Simon believes women’s football is heading in the right direction, the Matildas star thinks extending the W-League season must be the priority.
Currently nine teams compete in the W-League, but the competition only runs for three months from November to February.
Given the growing interest in the league from abroad and at home, Simon believes extending it will take the game to the next level.
“The interest has gone through the roof internationally as well as domestically,” she said at Nike’s launch of their ‘No Turning Back’ campaign. “It’s the platform to put your talent on show to get the potential to play for the national team.
“A longer season sticks out to me. We have 14 rounds with two rounds as byes and it would be nice to extend that. Whether a new team comes in or not, that’s the second question.”
The Central Coast Mariners had hoped to join the W-League for the upcoming season, but the council’s failure to upgrade the change rooms at Central Coast Stadium left FFA no choice but to delay their entry.
Still, there have been some positive steps taken to raise the profile of women’s football, not least the announcement that Australia will bid to host the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
And while Simon concedes there’s always more that can be done, she says the possibility of hosting the tournament can be a turning point for Australian women’s football in much the same way it was for the women’s game in America.
“A defining moment in American football history was when their national team hosted the World Cup in 1999 and they won it on home soil,” Simon said. “That really did boost the sport’s profile. We don’t want to wait for six years for that to happen, but I definitely think that can contribute to the motion of women’s football in the country. We’re doing good things along the way, but we can always do more.”
“I’ve seen the progression over the years from when I first came into the game to now; there’s a whole heap of new players coming through, which is boosting the game.
“There’s always work to be done, but I definitely think we’re heading in the right direction.”
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