A-League Women facts for kids
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| Founded | 25 October 2008 |
|---|---|
| First season | 2008–09 |
| Country | Australia (11 teams) |
| Other club(s) from | New Zealand (1 team) |
| Confederation | Asian Football Confederation |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| International cup(s) | AFC Women's Club Championship |
| Current champions | Sydney FC (5th title) (2023–24) |
| Current premiers | Melbourne City (3rd title) (2023–24) |
| Most championships | Sydney FC (5 titles) |
| Most premierships | Sydney FC (5 titles) |
| TV partners |
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| Website | aleagues.com.au |
The A-League Women is Australia's top professional soccer league for women. It's currently known as the Liberty A-League because of a sponsor. The league started in 2008 and was first called the W-League. It was created by Football Australia, which is the main soccer group in Australia.
When it first began, there were eight teams. Seven of these teams were connected to men's A-League clubs, sharing their names and colours. Now, for the 2022–23 season, there are twelve teams competing. The A-League Women, along with the men's and youth leagues, is managed by the Australian Professional Leagues.
The A-League Women season usually runs from November to April. It includes a regular season with 22 rounds of games. After that, the best teams play in a finals series, which ends with a big championship game called the Grand Final. The team that finishes first in the regular season is called the "premiers". The team that wins the Grand Final is called the "champions".
Since the league started in 2008, five different clubs have won the "premiers" title. Also, five different clubs have been crowned "champions". The league is becoming fully professional. This change started in 2021 when all women's clubs came under one management group.
Currently, Melbourne City are the "premiers" for the 2023–24 season. They have won this title three times. Sydney FC are the current "champions", having won their fifth title.
Contents
History of the A-League Women
Before the A-League Women, Australia had another top women's soccer league. It was called the Women's National Soccer League (WNSL) and ran from 1996 to 2004. It stopped in 2004, just like the men's National Soccer League.
After the Australian women's national team, known as the Matildas, did really well in the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup, their coach, Tom Sermanni, thought Australia needed a professional league for women. This would help players get even better. So, Football Australia started the W-League the next year.
Early Teams and First Season
The W-League began with eight teams. These were Adelaide United, Brisbane Roar, Central Coast Mariners, Melbourne Victory, Newcastle Jets, Perth Glory, and Sydney FC. The eighth team was Canberra United. Most of these teams were linked to men's A-League clubs.
The first season kicked off on 25 October 2008. Queensland Roar finished first in the regular season. They became the first "premiers". Queensland then played against Canberra in the Grand Final and won 2–0, becoming the first "champions".
League Changes and Growth
The Central Coast Mariners had to leave the league in 2010–11 because they didn't have enough money. But they came back for the 2023–24 season!
When Western Sydney Wanderers joined the men's A-League in 2012–13, they also added a women's team. This brought the league back to eight teams. For a few years, from 2012 to 2014, the W-League champion team could play in an international club competition.
In 2015, Melbourne City joined the W-League. They had an amazing first season, winning all 12 of their regular games and then the Grand Final.
At first, Football Australia ran the league. But in 2019, the clubs took over the day-to-day running. They formed a group called the Australian Professional Leagues.
The league has been growing even more since 2021. Wellington Phoenix joined in 2021–22. Western United joined in 2022–23. And the Central Coast Mariners returned in 2023–24. There are plans for a new team from Auckland, New Zealand, to join in 2025–26.
Record Crowds
Crowds at A-League Women games have gotten much bigger in 2023. This happened after the Matildas did so well in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. A record 11,471 fans watched Sydney FC play the Western Sydney Wanderers on 14 October 2023.
The 2023–24 A-League Women season became the most-watched women's sport season in Australian history. Over 312,000 people attended games throughout the season.
How the Competition Works
The A-League Women regular season usually runs from November to April. Each team plays 20 games. The team that finishes highest on the ladder is crowned "Premier".
After the regular season, the top four teams go into a knockout finals series. This means if you lose, you're out! The winner of the Grand Final is the "Champion".
In 2022, there was a plan to hold the Grand Finals in Sydney for three seasons. But many people didn't like this idea. So, in 2023, the league decided to go back to the old way. Now, the team that finishes highest gets to host the Grand Final. They also introduced a "Unite Round" where all games in one round are played in Sydney.
Special Events
Pride Round
Pride Cup is an Australian group that supports the LGBTQIA+ community in sports. It started in 2012 after a footballer named Jason Ball shared that he was gay. His club showed support by holding a "Pride Cup" game. This idea spread to other sports, including the A-League.
In 2021, after Adelaide United player Josh Cavallo became the first openly gay male top-flight footballer, the A-League and A-League Women held a special Pride doubleheader game.
On 24–26 February 2023, both the men's and women's A-Leagues held their first-ever Pride Round. This was a special time for the leagues to show support for the LGBTQIA+ community. Some money from ticket sales went to Pride Cup. The Pride Round will continue each year. Players and staff will also get training on how to be more inclusive. Teams show their support with rainbow corner flags, armbands, and special uniforms.
Current Clubs
| Current clubs | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity | Founded | Joined | Head coach | Captain | Highest finish |
Most recent finish |
| Adelaide United | Adelaide, South Australia |
ServiceFM Stadium Coopers Stadium |
7,000 17,000 |
2008 | 2008 |  Adrian Stenta |
Isabel Hodgson |
3rd | 8th |
| Brisbane Roar | Brisbane, Queensland |
Ballymore Stadium | 8,000 | 2008 | 2008 |  Alex Smith |
Ayesha Norrie |
1st | 9th |
| Canberra United | Canberra, ACT | McKellar Park | 3,500 | 2008 | 2008 | Njegosh Popovich |
Michelle Heyman |
1st | 5th |
| Central Coast Mariners | Gosford, New South Wales | Central Coast Stadium | 20,059 | 2008 | 2008 2023 (re-entry) |
 Emily Husband |
Taren King |
2nd | 2nd |
| Melbourne City | Melbourne, Victoria | Kingston Heath Soccer Complex AAMI Park |
3,300 30,050 |
2015 | 2015 | Dario Vidošić (caretaker) |
 Rebekah Stott |
1st | 3rd |
| Melbourne Victory | Melbourne, Victoria | The Home of the Matildas AAMI Park |
3,000 30,050 |
2008 | 2008 |  Jeff Hopkins |
Kayla Morrison |
1st | 4th |
| Newcastle Jets | Newcastle, New South Wales |
Wanderers Oval Adamstown Oval McDonald Jones Stadium |
2,000 2,000 33,000 |
2008 | 2008 | Ryan Campbell (caretaker) |
Cassidy Davis |
2nd | 10th |
| Perth Glory | Perth, Western Australia |
Macedonia Park HBF Park |
7,000 20,500 |
2008 | 2008 | Alexander Epakis |
Natasha Rigby |
1st | 6th |
| Sydney FC | Sydney, New South Wales |
Netstrata Jubilee Stadium Leichhardt Oval Seymour Shaw Park Cromer Park |
20,500 20,000 5,000 5,000 |
2008 | 2008 | Ante Juric |
Natalie Tobin |
1st | 1st |
| Wellington Phoenix | Wellington, New Zealand |
Sky Stadium Jerry Collins Stadium |
34,500 1,900 |
2021 | 2021 | Paul Temple |
Annalie Longo |
10th | 11th |
| Western Sydney Wanderers | Sydney, New South Wales |
CommBank Stadium Blacktown Football Park Marconi Stadium |
30,000 500 9,000 |
2012 | 2012 | Robbie Hooker |
Amy Harrison |
3rd | 7th |
| Western United | Wyndham, Victoria | GMHBA Stadium | 36,000 | 2021 | 2022 | Kat Smith |
 Jaclyn Sawicki Chloe Logarzo |
2nd | 2nd |
| Future clubs | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity | Founded | Joining |
| Auckland (name TBD) | Auckland, New Zealand | TBD | TBD | TBD | 2025–26 |
How Teams are Organised
Squads and Player Pay
An A-League Women team must have at least 20 players and no more than 26. Players usually sign contracts for one season. Many players also play in leagues in other countries when the A-League Women season is over. Because the A-League Women season happens during the off-season for many other leagues, many international players come to play in Australia.
In 2015, teams had a limit on how much they could spend on player salaries, called a salary cap, which was A$150,000. Some players earned A$10,000, while others earned nothing. By 2017–18, a minimum salary of A$10,000 was introduced. The average salary went up to A$17,400, and the salary cap was A$300,000.
For the 2020–21 season, the minimum amount teams had to spend on salaries (called the salary floor) went up to A$294,000. It increased to A$315,000 in 2021–22, with a salary cap of A$450,000. The goal is for the salary floor to reach A$390,000 by 2025–26. This deal also improved training places, travel, and player support. In 2021, the minimum yearly pay for an A-League Women player was A$17,055. This increased to A$25,000 in 2023 because the season became longer. As of March 2024, players are paid for 35 weeks for the regular season, plus four extra weeks if their team makes the finals.
A survey in 2023 showed that most players in the league also work or study part-time. They do this to earn extra money. Most players earned the minimum salary. About 60% of players had to work second jobs. This is different from the men's A-League, where only about 15% of players had second jobs. After the success of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, there have been more calls to make the A-League Women a full-time professional league.
Stadiums Where Games Are Played
A-League Women games have been played in 33 different stadiums since the league started.
Watching the Games (Broadcasting)
Since the 2018–19 season, fans have been able to watch every W-League game. Games were shown on Fox Sports, SBS Viceland, and the My Football Live app. Some games were also shown live on Fox Sports on Thursday nights. In the United States, ESPN+ showed at least 17 W-League games. For the first time, games were also streamed on YouTube and Twitter in countries where there wasn't a TV partner.
In the 2019–20 season, ABC TV showed one game each weekend. This included 14 regular season games and all the finals games.
Since August 2021, as part of a five-year deal, the A-Leagues are shown on Network 10 and the Paramount+ (Australia) streaming service. For the 2022–23 season, Paramount+ and Network 10's free streaming service 10Play show all matches.
In New Zealand, A-League Men and A-League Women matches are shown on Sky Sport and beIN Sports.
Where to Watch A-League Women Games
| Territory | Network |
|---|---|
 Australia |
Network 10 |
| Paramount+ | |
 New Zealand |
Sky Open |
| Sky Sport | |
| Pacific Islands | Australia TV |
| Pasifika TV | |
| International | Sport24 (on planes and ships only) |
| YouTube (in countries without other TV deals) | |
| Asia | SPOTV |
 Ireland |
TNT Sports |
 United Kingdom |
Referees
The A-League Women uses female referees and assistant referees from Australia. Some well-known referees include:
- Kate Jacewicz, who has refereed many Grand Finals.
- Katie Patterson
- Casey Reibelt
Winners of the League
| Season | Premiers (regular season winners) | Champions (Grand Final winners) |
|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | Queensland Roar | Queensland Roar |
| 2009 | Sydney FC | Sydney FC |
| 2010–11 | Sydney FC | Brisbane Roar |
| 2011–12 | Canberra United | Canberra United |
| 2012–13 | Brisbane Roar | Sydney FC |
| 2013–14 | Canberra United | Melbourne Victory |
| 2014 | Perth Glory | Canberra United |
| 2015–16 | Melbourne City | Melbourne City |
| 2016–17 | Canberra United | Melbourne City |
| 2017–18 | Brisbane Roar | Melbourne City |
| 2018–19 | Melbourne Victory | Sydney FC |
| 2019–20 | Melbourne City | Melbourne City |
| 2020–21 | Sydney FC | Melbourne Victory |
| 2021–22 | Sydney FC | Melbourne Victory |
| 2022–23 | Sydney FC | Sydney FC |
| 2023–24 | Melbourne City | Sydney FC |
League Records
Most Games Played
As of 11 February 2024.
Players in bold are still playing in the A-League Women.
| Rank | Player | Appearances |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michelle Heyman |
174 |
| 2 | Kim Carroll |
158 |
| 3 | Teresa Polias |
157 |
| 4 | Tameka Yallop |
154 |
| 5 | Clare Polkinghorne |
152 |
| 6 | Caitlin Cooper |
151 |
| Gema Simon |
||
| 8 | Ellie Brush |
145 |
| Emma Checker |
||
| 10 | Cassidy Davis |
144 |
Top Goal Scorers
As of 11 February 2024.
Players in bold are still playing in the A-League Women.
| Rank | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michelle Heyman |
105 |
| 2 | Samantha Kerr |
70 |
| 3 | Tameka Yallop |
61 |
| 4 | Kyah Simon |
50 |
| 5 | Emily Gielnik |
48 |
| 6 | Tara Andrews |
45 |
| Leena Khamis |
||
| 8 | Ashleigh Sykes |
44 |
| 9 | Lisa De Vanna |
42 |
| Kate Gill |
See Also
In Spanish: A-League Women para niños
- AFC Women's Club Championship
- A-League Women records and statistics
- Women's soccer in Australia
- Australia women's national soccer team
- Women's National Soccer League (WNSL) – a past Australian women's national league
- A-League Men
