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ABC News
6 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
A-League Women investment criticised by interim Matildas coach Tom Sermanni
Interim Matildas coach Tom Sermanni has delivered a scathing critique of the A-League Women competition's professionalism, stating that Australian football remains "grossly underinvested" in the women's game. That the league is not yet fully professional is particularly "irritating" for Sermanni, given the blockbuster success of the 2023 Women's World Cup. Every player in the Matildas squad has played in the ALW at some point, including six players currently in the domestic league. But on Thursday, women's football stalwart Sermanni, typically a happy-go-lucky character, unleashed both barrels. "We really need to have, at A-League level, a real rethink," he said. "The league has been going for 17 years. When we started the league, and the coaches came from our institute programs, we had full-time coaches and more full-time staff than we have now, 17 years in. "The A-League separated five years ago and what we have done since then is we've got home and away, which is an improvement, but we are still grossly under-invested in the women's game here. "I don't know if there's a thought process going forward about where they want to take the league or what they want to do. But there's a huge amount of work that actually needs to be done. "It's even more irritating when you think how we had the most successful World Cup ever two years ago, and A-League Women are in the situation that they're in now, it's just not good enough." The ALW, formerly W-League, started in 2008. "At that time, our league was the forefront of women's leagues, to be perfectly honest," Sermanni said. "It's still very important, and coaches, staffs and players are doing exceptionally well. But the league itself is in need of significant improvement in its professionalism. "There are three clubs that are suitably staffed — that's Melbourne City, Melbourne Victory and Wellington Phoenix. And the rest of the clubs are completely inadequately staffed. "Players get 35-week contracts now. "A league has just started in Canada — football-wise, we're well in advance of Canada — where the base salary is twice what our basic salary is, where there's full-time staff, full-time players. "And we are still trying to produce players when we have a space of three months where the club has got no contact, no control, no reference point for the players, to actually keep them and know what's happening." Professional Footballers Australia has warned of the potential for a "player drain" from the ALW and its effect on developing Matildas if the league isn't fully professionalised. CEO Beau Busch reiterated that it needed to happen by the 2026-27 season to capitalise on next year's Asian Cup. "Setting that as our target and achieving it will prevent us falling further behind as global standards continue to rise at pace," he said. The Australian Professional Leagues have been contacted for comment. In Canada's Northern Super League, where new call-up Kahli Johnson plays, the minimum wage is $56,000, more than double the ALW's $26,000, with a salary cap of $1.8 million compared to $600,000. Sermanni will coach the Matildas for the 150th time across three stints in Friday night's clash with Argentina at Marvel Stadium, with Central Coast's Emily Husband and Western United's Kat Smith among his assistants. Arsenal trio Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord and Kyra Cooney-Cross are unlikely to start after only arriving in camp on Wednesday night following their Women's Champions League triumph. AAP
ABC News
16-05-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Central Coast Mariners chase fairytale finish in A-League Women's grand final
The Central Coast Mariners women's team is writing its own script and it is one that even a Hollywood hack might not dare to dream up. Kicked out of the competition in 2010 due to a lack of funding and denied re-entry seven years later because the home ground change rooms were not up to scratch, the team is back from the wilderness and on the brink of grand final glory. Annalise Rasmussen came through the Mariners Academy and was the first player signed when the club returned to the competition in 2023. "[It's] pretty crazy," she said. "All through high school me and my friends would go down to Gosford and watch the men's teams play. The Mariners played in the inaugural W-League (now known as A-League Women) competition in 2008, but the team was forced out after two seasons due to a lack of funding. Now the squad is preparing for a grand final against three-time champions Melbourne Victory. The Mariners are the only team to have defeated the premiers this season and coach Emily Husband says there is plenty of belief among the players. "I always had the faith … that we could really, really achieve something fantastic together," she said. Husband rose through the coaching ranks at Sydney University before being handed the daunting task of creating a team from scratch in 2023. "It's been an incredible achievement for everybody," she said. "Did I anticipate us doing this well in two years? Probably not, if I'm being brutally honest." "Do I envision us with the trophy? Absolutely." One player who knows what it takes to win a grand final is Taylor Ray. She was part of the Sydney FC side that won last year's decider and has played in three premierships, three championships and four grand finals. "There was a lot of success at Sydney FC … [but] for me personally, that shift towards a smaller family base … I think that allows me to be more passionate about this one," Ray said. The decider will be played in Melbourne, which is a second home to dual-code star Sarah Rowe. The 29-year-old Irishwoman has been playing in the AFLW with Collingwood since 2018 and previously played a season with Melbourne Victory. "Collingwood train right beside AAMI stadium, so it does feel like I'm going home this weekend, and I've gotten so many messages from the girls throughout the week and a lot of them are coming to the game on Sunday," Rowe said. The success of the team over the course of two seasons has led to Husband being mentioned as a possible coach for the Matildas. Next week she will go to a camp with the national team in a supporting role, but she says she does not have aspirations to take the top job just yet. "I'm fully concentrated on being at the Central Coast Mariners," Husband said. "Whatever happens in the future happens in the future." The Mariners men's team claimed back-to-back A-League titles after accounting for Victory in last year's grand final.
Daily Mail
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Former Matildas star Lisa De Vanna UNLOADS on departing Football Australia boss James Johnson following abuse and bullying claims
Matildas legend Lisa De Vanna has publicly unloaded on outgoing Football Australia boss James Johnson, who has resigned after more than five years in charge. It comes after De Vanna, 40, alleged in 2021 she suffered same-sex sexual harassment, abuse and bullying during her decorated 150-game international career. Her former teammate and W-League stalwart Rhali Dobson also alleged she was a target of sexual harassment in her career. Striker De Vanna - who scored 47 goals for the Matildas - was furious at the time after Johnson said any such complaint would be handled by Sport Integrity Australia and not football's governing body. 'This will ensure that matters like those raised by Lisa and Rhali are dealt with appropriately and individuals have the right support around them in an independent way,' Johnson said in a video statement. 'We must acknowledge that at the centre of this, we have two players who have shown great courage to speak about and to share their personal experiences. 'Lisa and Rhali, we see you and we hear you.' De Vanna, Australia's second-highest goal-scorer in senior internationals behind Sam Kerr, alleged abuse dating back to 2001 when she joined the Young Matildas squad as a 17-year-old. She said she had been sexually harassed, bullied and ostracised because of her reactions to such incidents. Bombshell accusations include allegedly being pulled down from behind and dry-humped. Fast forward to 2025 and De Vanna clearly believes Johnson wasn't proactive enough in addressing the allegations. Taking to X on Thursday, De Vanna posted: 'Goodbye [derogatory term] what took you so long? 'Hope you go to hell. No one should have gone through the darkness you put me through, but I survived, think this is over? 'This chapter is far from over.' It followed Johnson informing the Football Australia board of his decision to resign on Thursday after more than five years at the helm. Current Director and former Matilda Heather Garriock has been named as the interim CEO.
