A-League Women announces extended season and expansion to 12 teams

The A-League Women’s competition will expand from 10 teams to 12 over the next two years with the number of rounds extended from 14 to 22 delivering a full home-and-away schedule consisting of 132 games.

Confirming its commitment to the growth of women's football, the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) today announced a two-year strategy that will see the nation’s top-flight women's league brought into line with the global benchmark, progressively extending the ALW season and adding more clubs as they build towards a fully-professional, full-time women's competition.

Subject to approval by the board of Football Australia, the expansion will see Western United will enter the competition in the 2022/23 season, followed by the Central Coast Mariners a year later, subject to FA board approval.

The announcement comes ahead of Australia’s co-hosting of next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup and represents an optimal configuration that not only provides more match minutes - up to the current global standard of 1,980 by 2023/24 - but also ongoing employment for players and staff, with player contracts lengthened by 23% while the minimum salary will increase by 50%t over two years, as well as open the league to new markets and untapped commercial opportunities.

Announcing the expansion, A-Leagues Chief Executive, Danny Townsend stated “in the 18-months since we have been running the professional game in Australia, we will increase the number of regular season matches from 70 to 132, finally bringing Australia in line with global benchmarks and ensuring more opportunities for women to play at the highest level and for girls to benefit from the role models and expanded professional pathways this investment creates.

“We are just 12-months out from the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and we want to make sure that every girl and woman in Australia has the opportunity to build and grow a lasting relationship with football, the country’s most participated in sport.”

The changes to the competition follow close consultation with players and Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) and will lead to the minimum salary in the competition increasing by more than 50% over the next two years.

Kate Gill, co-Chief Executive of PFA, added “today represents a significant step forward for women’s football in Australia that not only brings to life the players’ vision for a full home and away competition, but indicates the APL’s intent and belief in growing the women’s game.

“Thanks to the genuine partnership with the APL, the players have played a central role in helping to design a competition that delivers meaningful employment, a professional career path and a strong and sustainable league that will develop the next generation of Australian talent.”

The upcoming 2022/23 ALW season is set to kick off on 18th November 18, with 20 rounds contested by 11 teams - after the introduction of Western United - over the course of six months, culminating in a grand final on the last weekend of April.

The League will also pause for international windows for the first time, allowing ALW clubs to release national team players and, subsequently, to work with Football Australia to coordinate content and engagement strategies across both domestic and international levels of the game.

Images: Western United Development Squad Player Natasha Dakic, Western United Development Squad Player Alana Cerne and Amanda Stella Western United Women’s Football Manager during today's annoucements at Melbourne's AAMI Park (top) and Greg O’Rourke, A-Leagues Commissioner of Football, speaks to the media during the event (below). Images credit: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images/Australian Professional Leagues.