Australia's top women's league a 'burning platform': report

MELBOURNE :Australia's top women's soccer league is falling behind global peers as it loses talent, attracts smaller match-day crowds and pays stagnating wages, a report has found.

Players union Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) likened the 11-team A-League Women (ALW) to a "burning platform" in its review of the 2024-2025 season published on Wednesday, which said more players reported "psychological distress" while juggling jobs outside their sport.

"The league is falling behind women's football leagues abroad and other women's competitions in Australia, leading to an alarming talent drain," the report said in its executive summary.

"Our minimum salary has gone from one of the highest among Australian women’s leagues pre-COVID to by far the lowest.

"Results from the PFA's end of season survey show that the ALW has become the least preferred league globally among our own players."

The report found average match-day crowds had fallen 26 per cent to 1,559 in the 2024-2025 season as the buzz from Australia co-hosting the Women's World Cup with New Zealand in 2023 wore off.

The share of players reporting their financial situations as either "not at all" secure or only "slightly" secure had grown to 76 per cent, up from 66 per cent two years ago.

With minimum salaries of A$26,500 ($17,200) in 2025, ALW players earned a fraction of women in cricket (A$74,851) and Australian Rules football (A$67,337), while also trailing netball (A$45,320), rugby league (A$41,800) and basketball (A$29,465).

A mental health audit found 67 per cent of ALW players experienced sport-related psychological distress, which includes anxiety and depression.

With 62 per cent of players working away from the pitch, ALW's age profile was skewing younger as