Perth Glory ALW coach Stephen Peters calls out lack of investment in women's A

Perth Glory Women's coach Stephen Peters has criticised a lack of investment in the women's A-League, which he says has not reaped the benefits of the Matildas' success at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.

In recent years, the Glory's women's side has been Perth's saving grace, as the men's team suffered back-to-back wooden-spoon finishes.

Despite this, they consistently draw a small, but dedicated, home crowd of just under 1,000 people, while the Glory men's worst Perth audience this season was just over 5,000.

Speaking to media ahead of Sunday's game against the Central Coast Mariners, Peters said he felt progress had plateaued and money was not going to where it was most needed.

"Everyone obviously celebrates the success of the Matildas, which is unbelievable, but is that money being reinvested into the league in the way it should be?

"Are there enough people putting hands in pockets to invest in the sport?

"I don't know but we've got to catch up."

Peters called for improved governance, better conditions and salaries for players, and the introduction of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology.

"We're probably the only league that doesn't have VAR," he said.

"So whatever needs to happen for that to happen, whatever stadiums we need to play at, we need to make that happen."

Players desperate to focus on the game at hand

Most A-League women's players are currently only contracted for just under nine months of the year on a minimum salary of $26,500.

Peters said getting players on 12-month contracts was a top priority to allow them to focus on injury prevention in the off-season, with many currently playing in the second-tier National Premier Leagues (NPL) to make ends meet.

Glory player Mischa Anderson said most of her team mates juggled second and third jobs outside of their A-League commitments.

"I think a lot of girls struggle with that. We don't get as much rest, we have to do jobs after we come in here and I think it maybe affects our game some times.

"But that's the stuff you've got to do."

Swiss-born Glory defender Onyinyechi Zogg said while the A-League still had a way to go, that growth potential was part of what had drawn her here.

Zogg, who has played for clubs around the world, said she was keen to bring her experience to a new landscape.

"I saw [the club] wants to really invest, they want to build something with it," she said.

"It's definitely a good feeling to be part of that growth."

Zogg said Australia should look to England, where the women's league was fully professionalised in 2018 and has since enjoyed an uptick in game attendance.

"I really hope with the [AFC Asian Cup] that's coming up that it will give another push and we can accomplish this 12-month contract so that everybody can literally focus on football and the level and everything will increase after that," she said.

"That's definitely our main goal because I think it's really necessary for the next generation as well."

Perth will host the Asian Cup in March.

Report reveals downturn

A report released on Wednesday by Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) echoed the experiences of players like Anderson and Zogg.

It found the women's A-League was losing ground to global leagues and rival domestic sports despite strong international interest in women's football, with a 26 per cent downturn in game attendance for the 2024-25 season compared to the year prior.

Newly appointed Football Australia chief executive Martin Kugeler said he agreed there was untapped potential in women's sport and that higher investment correlated to better games and bigger audiences.

"We will work with all stakeholders in strengthening and building that in the future," he said.

"There's a new management at the A-Leagues, and I'm really looking forward to engage with the team to think about how we jointly can work together."

Kugeler's deputy, former player Heather Garriock, said moving forward there would be a head of men's football and a head of women's football.

She said it was the first time this had not been a combined role.

Click here to read article