Insight money edition: Mackenzie Arnold’s road from $1000 a season to superstardom

When Mackenzie Arnold started her career she was making $1000 a season. Now she can’t go out with her parents without being stopped for photos. But, she says, it’s a small price to pay.

Mackenzie Arnold was just 17 when she packed up her life, moved across the country for a $1000 playing contract with Perth Glory in the W-League.

Fresh out of school in Queensland, the talented goalkeeper never knew the career journey that awaited her when she accepted her very first professional contract in 2011.

Now, 12 years later, Arnold has established herself as one of the most recognisable Matildas players after starring for Australia in the home World Cup.

Her cross country gamble has led her all the way to now become captain of West Ham playing in the biggest football league in the world in England’s Women’s Super League and is one of the reasons why Nike are planning to actually produce goalkeeper kits to sell to fans.

There was outrage when fans couldn’t get their hands on Arnold’s World Cup kit last August, her penalty shootout heroics against France catapulting her popularity to unprecedented levels.

Many fans went as far as to fashion their own kits such was the love for Arnold.

It’s a move Nike have backflipped on, announcing the goalkeeper kit will be available for purchase by the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“It has definitely changed over time,” Arnold said.

“It’s obviously so good now that little girls and boys growing up are able to see things like ourselves and the Socceroos on TV a lot more and have something to aspire to be like.”

Mackenzie Arnold is becoming a bigger and bigger deal. Picture: Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images for Barclays

It isn’t just the recognition and brand that has grown. The conditions for women’s footballers have also evolved – not just on the national team.

Arnold recalls her first professional contract and how lucky she has been to be able to persevere and create a career when others simply couldn’t afford to keep pushing on.

“I think the contract was $1000 for the whole season, which was four or five months,” Arnold said.

“I was lucky enough to have my parents support me a lot during that period and they helped me when I was living over there.

“But I know a lot of girls that either had to stop playing or get a full time job and try to juggle training and jobs at the same time.

“It was definitely some hard times back in the day but fortunately now it’s starting to turn around a little bit and people are able to play football full time.”

Now the minimum wage for an A-Leagues’ women’s player is $25,000, for their nine month contract.

There have been huge leaps in the national women’s team contracts as well – with the Matildas now having equal rights and pay as the Socceroos.

As a 17-year-old, Mackenzie Arnold made $1000 a season playing for Perth Glory. Picture: Morne de Klerk/Getty Images

Parity was no overnight success story.

It took lobbying by the players with Football Australia and the governing body was lauded as being among the leaders worldwide to elevate the status of their women’s team.

The new pay deal, announced last month, has moved the Matildas out of a centralised contract system and will mean players will earn up to $160,000 a year and share in revenue generated by the team over the next four year cycle.

Arnold says the financial recognition is reflective of how society has reacted to the growth of women’s sport.

“I think you’re starting to see that now,” Arnold said.

“Just in women’s sport in general all over the world. It’s just getting bigger and bigger.

“I still think that it’s definitely got a long way to go but with what’s happening at the moment you’re starting to see the public catch on and really support us and get behind us and that helps a lot.

“This is just the legacy we’re trying to build and it’s always been what we want to leave behind. We want to leave the game better than we found it and I think we’re definitely on the right path to doing that.”

Life has certainly changed for the Matildas in the wake of their World Cup heroics.

The 29-year-old didn’t quite get the chance to realise the fan following she had – heading back to England for pre-season with WSL side West Ham United shortly after the tournament finished – but seeing paparazzi follow their moves when the Matildas returned to Perth for Olympic qualifier games last October gave her an insight into how popular the team have become and the growing interest in their every move.

Selfie requests and sold out stadiums: Two things Mackenzie Arnold has had to get used to. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

“But being over in London allows me to stay in my bubble a little bit more so I don’t feel it too much over there,” Arnold said.

“Definitely at home, it’s quite different for me. I was very surprised even meeting my parents out for breakfast and people wanting photos – I thought it might have died off a little bit after the World Cup.

“But it just seems to keep getting bigger and bigger. It’s quite an exciting time for us for sure.”

Arnold said the attention, media coverage, players being followed by paparazzi, even the sold out stadiums – was never something she expected in her career.

When Arnold first started football wasn’t ever something she considered could be a full-time job.

She didn’t even know who the Matildas were or that there was a women’s national team.

“As a kid football was just always so much fun to me,” Arnold said.

“I don’t think I really ever saw it as a career. I don’t think I really saw it as a career until I was 22, 23 years old because it wasn’t really ever on show for us to aspire to be like one of the Matildas because you didn’t really see much of them.”

Mackenzie Arnold celebrates during the shootout against France at the Women's World Cup. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Injury ruled Arnold out of last week’s friendlies with reigning Olympic champions Canada, but the star keeper is counting down to the final Olympic qualifiers against Uzbekistan in February.

“It’s our last hurdle to get to the Olympics and it’s a team that I don’t think we’ve actually ever played against before,” Arnold said.

“It’s going to be something that’s a little bit different than what we are used to but hopefully we can get that done and then heading to the Olympics is going to be another special time.

“It’s potentially the first Olympics that I could play in so I’m just trying to keep my head down at the moment and take it one game at a time.

“Seeing how competitive our team is and how close we are to getting a medal, it would be amazing to be part of that.”

Arnold and fellow Matildas teammates Mary Fowler and Alanna Kennedy will be back in Australia later this month for the Open Air Live fan event at Commbank Stadium in Sydney.

The three stars will demonstrate their on-field skills, talk about their personal journeys, careers and favourite moments from the World Cup.

Tickets to the event, which is on December 21 at 7pm (AEDT), are on sale via Ticketek.

Arnold said she was counting down for the chance to be back on home soil.

“It’s going to be a really special time, ”she said.

It’s just in time for Christmas and we’re really looking forward to coming home and giving back to the fans after all they have done for us throughout the World Cup and since then.”

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Originally published as Insight money edition: Mackenzie Arnold’s road from $1000 a season to superstardom