The PFA player development scholarships were established with the aim of recognising and supporting the efforts of PFA Members off the pitch. Entries opened on Friday 12 December 2025 and will close on Friday 16 January 2026.

The four scholarships are awarded annually, as is the Community Medal, which recognises the contributions of PFA members within their community.

Craig Foster Scholarship 

The PFA Craig Foster Scholarships are awarded annually to two current or former footballers who have demonstrated a commitment to furthering the objectives of the PFA throughout their playing career and pursuing a post playing career in the following domains:

• human rights
• the media
• social and/or community advocacy
• social and/or community service

Awarded annually to two players, each scholarship is valued at $2,500.

Click here to access the nomination form for the Craig Foster Media Scholarship

Kimon Taliadoros Scholarship 

The PFA Kimon Taliadoros Scholarships are awarded annually to two players who demonstrate excellence in their development off the field, such as through education, business or community involvement.

Awarded annually to two players, each scholarship is valued at $2,500.  

Click here to access the nomination form for the Kimon Taliadoros Scholarship

Beyond Bank Community Medal 

The Beyond Bank Community Medal, first introduced in 2017, recognises the outstanding contribution PFA members are making within their communities and reflects the PFA’s commitment to ensuring football creates positive social impact. 

The winner of the medal receives $2,500 to go to their nominated charity, courtesy of Beyond Bank. 

Click here to access the nomination form for the Beyond Bank Community Medal

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The Sky Blues duo received the most votes from within their peer cohort, among the six players nominated for the Player of the Month in each the A-League Men and A-League Women competitions.

They are the first players to win the peer-voted award for the 2025-26 campaign.

Lolley has kicked off the new campaign brilliantly, with a league-high six goal contributions in the opening few rounds of the season (four goals, two assists).

His standout performance came against arch-rivals Melbourne Victory, where he scored a match-winning brace at Leichhardt Oval.

Meanwhile, fellow Sydney FC compatriot, Fenton has returned to form in a big way after missing the best part of a year with a ruptured Anterior Cruciate Ligament.

The full-back has since re-established herself as a mainstay in the Sydney defence and has performed at the same level that put her on the map prior to her injury en route to Sydney’s Grand Final success in 2023.

Fenton’s performances have helped the Sky Blues to three clean sheets from their four games in October/November.

Following on from last season, Lolley and Fenton will receive a specially designed ball from PFA partners at Park SCC as a result of winning the Player of the Month. Both players will be able to choose to donate 10 balls to one of three charities – Football Empowerment, KitAid Australia and Football United.

Featured images: Imago/Uk Sports Pics Ltd/ZUMA Press Wire

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The annual conference, held at La Trobe University, brought together 20 player agents from across Australian and New Zealand football’s ecosystem, with representatives of A-Leagues and national team players coming together to discuss major football industry trends. 

Hosted in partnership with the Australian Football Agents’ Association (AFAA), the conference presents the opportunity for agents, players, professional clubs and governing bodies to collaborate on issues impacting the global football industry. 

Montemurro joined to discuss the Matildas, the growth potential of women’s football, while Morgan and Carnegie joined a panel discussion alongside PFA Chief Executive Beau Busch regarding youth development, club management, the A-Leagues, and the success of Australia’s youth national teams. 

Topics covered at the Agents Conference included: 

• A-Leagues trends and insights; 

• A preview of the forthcoming players’ Visions for the A-Leagues; 

• A presentation on global football’s legal framework and a case study on  

• Roundtable discussion with Trevor Morgan, Caroline Carneige and Beau Busch; 

• Q&A with Matildas Head Coach Joe Montemurro; and 

• Expert presentations on concussion in sport, the commercial value of players and disordered eating trends 

The PFA’s Agents Conference has encouraged the cultivation of more holistic management of talent within the sport, better assisting players to build their careers, foster beneficial relationships and improve evidence-based decision-making. 

“Agents play a critical role in supporting our members and guiding their career choices,” Busch said. “These conferences are about having open discussions about industry trends impacting players and agents, from concussion, to athlete’s brands, legal frameworks and growth areas for the professional game. 

“We were fortunate to have Joe Montemurro, Trevor Morgan and Caroline Carnegie, three really brilliant minds in Australian football, to come in and impart their experiences. They were hugely generous with their time, and that allowed for a really good conversation.”  

Morgan, who reflected on a successful year for Australia’s youth national teams, welcomed the opportunity to explore ways the industry can collaborate.   

“Everybody who’s in the ecosystem has a role to play: the player, the agent, the club, the member association,” Morgan said. “If we can work towards a common goal, which is to help players achieve their dreams, that will help the leagues grow, it will help the national teams perform better.   

“It comes back to how well can we provide for the players, and I think those discussions are important and ongoing to keep sort of seeing where we can find common ground.”  

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The Report highlights the league’s rapid shift toward youth development, with players aged under 21 accounting for an unprecedented 18% of all match minutes in 2024–25. Players aged 25 and under made up more than half of total minutes for the first time. 

Player payments declined for the second successive season. Transfer fees received fell below the previous two seasons but remained well above prior averages across the league’s history.   
 
Acknowledging the strong performance of A-League academies and the increasing playing opportunities for young players, the Report warns that the competition must ensure it strikes a balance between providing opportunity and quality if it is to leverage rising sporting and commercial revenue opportunities.

Read the full 2024-25 A-League Men Report here

Excluding the excellent Auckland FC, the Report reveals that crowds across the league declined from the 2023-24 season, with stadium utilisation continuing to present an enormous barrier to creating a compelling match day atmosphere across the league.  

PFA Chief Executive Beau Busch said the findings illustrate both the promise and the fragility of the league. 

“The quality on the pitch and the increasing willingness of overseas clubs to invest in the league’s young talent reflects the outstanding work undertaken in A-League academies,” Busch said. 

“However, continuing to drive value on the international transfer market must not come at the expense of the other football and traditional revenues.  

“The Report shows the league is approaching the extreme end of youth minutes by global standards. 

“The Report makes clear that the A-League Men can develop young talent, whilst also competing in Asia, attracting fans and re-establishing an atmosphere that is the envy of all other Australian codes.” 

The Report also raises concerns about the A-Leagues’ governance, noting the Australian Professional Leagues’ (APL) decision to announce major labour-market reforms in April this year — including the attempted introduction of a hard salary cap — is in conflict with the 2021–2026 A-Leagues Collective Bargaining Agreement and the hard-won rights of the players.  

Busch said players will continue to advocate for solutions that strengthen the league. 

“The continued operation of a salary cap, or any other restraint beyond this season, will require the players’ agreement through collective bargaining negotiations, and will be heavily conditional,” Busch said. 

“It clear that governance reform is urgently required to deliver a system that fans and players have confidence in and which can ensure the game’s potential is realised. 

“Through collective bargaining and constructive engagement, the players will continue to offer a credible plan that responds to the league’s challenges and leverages the opportunities. 

“As always, we are committed to being part of the solution.” 

Key Findings from the 2024–25 A-League Men Report 

• Youth opportunities at record levels: Under-21 players reached 18% of total match minutes; players 25 and under exceeded 50% of available match minutes for the first time. 

• Attendances and infrastructure: Average crowds rose 9% to 8,788 — boosted by Auckland FC’s debut — yet only three clubs filled more than half their stadium capacity, underscoring the need for improved, fit-for-purpose venues for the A-Leagues. 

• Player sentiment and governance: 52% of surveyed players expressed dissatisfaction with league management; 60% support an independent commission to oversee the competition, aligned with leading models in the AFL and NRL. 

• Transfer revenue is volatile revenue source: Clubs earned at least A$11.4 million from transfers in 2025, but the Report warns against relying on player sales at the expense of core revenue streams and long-term fan connection. 

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All 12 players were selected by a panel of former players and experts, who nominated the individuals based off their performances during the first month-and-a-half of the season.

Across each of the A-League Men and A-League Women competitions six players have been nominated for the award. Nominees must be PFA members to be eligible for the award.

PFA Members will receive a link from the PFA to vote on the nominees this week. Take a look at the nominees, below.

A-League Men

Andrew Redmayne (Central Coast Mariners)

Redmayne has enjoyed a brilliant return to Gosford with a string of spectacular performances in the opening few rounds of the season. The former Socceroos goalkeeper starred in Central Coast’s stirring F3 Derby victory over Newcastle Jets, saving a last-minute penalty which led to an incredible winner for his side only seconds later. He added two clean sheets in the following weeks, averages an equal league-high 4.2 saves and has prevented 2.8 goals per game (second in the league), according to FotMob.

Joe Lolley (Sydney FC)

Lolley is arguably in the best form of his Sydney FC tenure, thriving in the early rounds of the campaign. The Englishman has a league-high six goal contributions in the opening few rounds of the season (four goals, two assists), adding a goal and an assist in each game Sydney has hit the scoreboard this season. His standout performance came against arch-rivals Melbourne Victory, where he scored a match-winning brace at home.

Patrick Beach (Melbourne City)

Beach is quickly establishing himself as one of Australia’s top goalkeepers after a scintillating start to the campaign. The Melbourne City shot-stopper has been in inspired form, keeping an equal league-high four clean sheets in the opening rounds of the season, along with a string of matchwinning performances in the AFC Champions League. Beach’s performances also earned him a first-ever cap for the Socceroos against Venezuela in November as he looks to stake his claim for a place in next year’s FIFA World Cup squad.

Ethan Alagich (Adelaide United)

Adelaide United’s midfield has been powered by the brilliant form of Alagich in the opening rounds of the season, who has worked superbly alongside fellow youngster Luke Duzel. The 21-year-old is enjoying a breakout season this year, taking his game to another level in the Reds engine room, scoring two goals and adding two assists to go with his superb two-way running to support his defensive unit.

Max Caputo (Melbourne City)

Caputo has translated his enormous potential into consistent goalscoring form, with a fantastic run of performances to start the reigning A-League Men’s champions’ season. After establishing himself as City’s No.1 option up-front towards the tail-end of last season, Caputo has fired home four goals in the opening rounds of the league season, showcasing tremendous goalscoring instincts in-and-around the eighteen yard box. The 20-year-old has also thrived in City’s AFC Champions League Elite campaign with an additional two goals to his name.

Anthony Pantazopoulos (Western Sydney Wanderers)

Pantazopolous has continued to make a name for himself in the opening rounds of the campaign. The no-nonsense defender has been an important part of Western Sydney’s back-four in the opening rounds of the campaign, putting in a nice stretch of performances in the back-line and found himself on the scoresheet in their 1-1 draw with Macarthur FC.

A-League Women

Kennedy White (Melbourne Victory)

White has thrived in her first few weeks at Melbourne Victory. The American attacker has been scoring goals for fun in Victory’s opening five games of the campaign, adding five goals to her name and sits top of the Golden Boot charts. White’s best game came against the Western Sydney Wanderers in Round Two, firing home a hat-trick in their 4-1 win on the road.

Holly McNamara (Melbourne City)

The ‘Mac’ has picked up right where she left off last season. McNamara fired home two goals and tallied two assists in City’s opening two games of the season and is primed for yet another huge campaign for the reigning A-League Women Premiers. The 22-year-old and her teammates have only featured in two league games so far due to City’s campaigns in the AFC Women’s Champions League, where she also added an additional three goals in the group stage. Her performances were capped off with yet another call-up to the Matildas for the November-December friendlies against New Zealand as she quickly becomes a fixture in the national team setup heading into next year’s Asian Cup.

Shelby McMahon (Melbourne City)

Holly isn’t the only ‘Mac’ firing on all cylinders in City blue to start the season. Young gun Shelby McMahon is also flying for the reigning premiers with three goals to her name already in her two league matches, along with an additional goal in City’s 3-0 win over Ho Chi Minh City in the AFC Women’s Champions League.

Michelle Heyman (Canberra United)

The leading A-League Women’s goalscorer of all-time is back doing what she does best to start the season. Heyman’s fired home two goals and tallied two assists in the opening rounds of the campaign and looks set to play yet another important role for Canberra United in their push for back-to-back finals appearances. The 37-year-old’s performances have continued to catch the eye of national team selectors with another Matildas call-up to her name for the most recent window against the Football Ferns and looks set to play a role in Australia’s push for Asian Cup success next year on home soil.

Ella Buchanan (Western Sydney Wanderers)

Buchanan is in the midst of a stellar start to Western Sydney Wanderers’ season. The versatile defender has been thriving in the opening few weeks of the campaign at both ends of the field, but it’s her work going forward that has caught the eye particularly, scoring once and adding two assists. This included the match-winning pass to Olivia Price for their solitary win of the season against Brisbane Roar.

Kirsty Fenton (Sydney FC)

Fenton’s back in a big way this season. The full-back only made one appearance at the tail-end of last season after rupturing her Anterior Cruciate Ligament in April 2024, which meant she also missed the Sky Blues’ run into winning the 2023-24 A-League Women Championship. Fenton has since re-established herself as a starter for Ante Juric’s side and has showcased the form that put her on the map prior to her injury, helping the Sky Blues to three clean sheets from their opening four games.

Featured image: Uk Sports Pic Ltd / ZUMA Press Wire

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The partnership brings together two groups that sit at the heart of the game – the players and supporters. The PFA’s Chief Executive, Beau Busch, and FSAA Chair, Patrick Clancy, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two organisations on Wednesday, December 3.

Under the agreement, the organisations will collaborate on initiatives that: 

• build deeper, more authentic connections between players and supporters; 

• amplify the role of players and fans in decision-making processes across the game; and 

• generate data-driven recommendations that underpin long-term growth of the game. 

PFA Chief Executive Beau Busch said:  

“Since the establishment of FSAA, we have been able to build an effective working relationship, and this agreement represents another step forward in our shared pursuit of building the game. 

“Globally, we have seen firsthand the benefits of strong collaboration between fan groups and player unions.  

“Together we believe we are better equipped to shape the future of Australian football and ensure that the voices of fans and players are heard and respected.” 

FSAA, a volunteer collective, was formally established in 2023 to provide a unified, independent representation for all Australian football supporters through a dedicated supporter-first approach. 
 
The FSAA advocates for issues affecting all football supporters and fans at all levels of the game. The FSAA has recently published supporter-centric recommendations to football’s governing body, Football Australia (FA), and the Australian Professional Leagues (APL). 

FSAA Chair Patrick Clancy said FSAA’s partnership with the PFA is a natural link between the bodies representing Australian football’s two most important groups – players and supporters. 

“Australia’s professional players have an inextricable connection with supporters. Many have grown up on the terraces and in the stands and then progress to taking on the game as a career,” Patrick said. 

“For supporters, there is that strong emotional connection with the players of the club they support week in, week out. 

“FSAA wants to continue to foster and grow this important relationship, leverage off our mutual understandings and improve the game in Australia for players and supporters alike.” 

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AGM Highlights

• Tameka Yallop and Jackson Irvine re-appointed as PFA Co-Presidents at the PFA’s 2025 Annual General Meeting. 
• Andrew Redmayne re-appointed to PFA Executive Committee. 
• PFA membership endorses a new three-year Strategic Framework – Securing the Future of the Professional Game. 
• The PFA publishes its 2024-25 Annual Report, outlining achievements, progress, and challenges across professional football. 
• 10 individuals, including former players and PFA staff, were awarded PFA Life Membership.

Matilda Yallop and Socceroo Irvine have served as Co-Presidents since January and will continue to lead the union through a critical period for the professional game in Australia and New Zealand. 

The Executive Committee now features five active national team players: Irvine and Mat Ryan (Socceroos), and Yallop, Clare Hunt, and Alanna Kennedy (Matildas), with Kennedy confirmed as a new Executive appointment last week. 
 
The PFA’s Annual Report highlighted the significant support afforded to PFA members, including: 

• $1.78m secured by the PFA for members over the course of 2024-25 financial year; 

• 127 individual legal cases opened; 

• 84 education grants awarded to players to help subsidise their off-fieled education and development; 

• 102 video highlights packages produced for players seeking professional football contracts; 

• 929 confidential counselling sessions provided to players seeking mental health support; 

• 132 players undertook concussion, betting, and match fixing education sessions; and 

• 400 players attended gambling education sessions.  

Click here to read the PFA’s Annual Report

Members endorsed a new three-year strategic direction for the organisation and recognised individuals whose contribution has strengthened both the PFA and the game. The organisation’s new Strategic Framework sets a clear direction for the next three years for the organisation, built on four pillars:

1. Lead – spearhead a whole-of-industry recovery and drive progress across the professional game; 

2. Equal Say – players have an equal say in the decisions that shape their careers and the game’s future; 

3. Support – deliver world-leading, player-owned wellbeing and education programs; and 

4. Strength – maintain a powerful, resilient association ready to pursue its mission with confidence. 

During the AGM, Matildas legends Clare Polkinghorne, Lydia Williams, and Elise Kellond-Knight; Socceroo Danny Vukovic, A-League stalwarts Jamie Young and Scott Neville (and current PFA Player Relations Executive), and former National Soccer League player and PFA staff member Will Hastie were awarded PFA Life Membership. 

They were joined by three staff whose work has had enduring impact on the organisation: Brianna Finn (PFA General Manager), Angela Collins (Head of Legal), and Shannon Beck (former PFA staff member). 

PFA Chief Executive Beau Busch congratulated the re-appointed duo of Yallop and Irvine, and those awarded Life Membership. 

“This AGM reflects both where we’ve come from, by recognising the incredible contributions of former players and long serving staff, and where we’re determined to go as a collective. 

“Today’s AGM was a moment to acknowledge those who have shaped Australian football and to honour their contribution by securing the future of the professional game.  

“For those players and administrators who have dedicated their lives to Australian football and the betterment of the players, we thank them for their incredible contribution. 

“Tameka and Jackson’s re-appointment ensures the PFA remains anchored by strong, principled player leadership, as we enter a critical moment for the future of the professional game. 

“Our new strategy marks the beginning of a new era – one where players’ leadership, voice, and collective strength will be required to reshape the game, and deliver on Australian football’s immense potential.” 

Featured images: IMAGO / Sports Press Photo and Xinhua

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Kennedy will join Co-Presidents Tameka Yallop and Jackson Irvine on the Executive, alongside fellow Members Mat Ryan, Andrew Redmayne, David Williams, Jack Hingert, Dylan Holmes, Clare Hunt, PFA Chair Francis Awaritefe, Deputy Chair Elise Kellond-Knight and Chief Executive Beau Busch. 

About the PFA Executive Committee  
 
Through representative positions on the Executive Committee, professional Australian players help to advance and protect the interests, conditions, and welfare of their fellow professionals and actively resolve issues on their behalf.  The current PFA Executive Committee is Francis Awaritefe (Chair), Elise Kellond-Knight (Deputy Chair), Beau Busch (PFA Chief Executive), Jackson Irvine (Co-President), Tameka Yallop (Co-President), Mat Ryan, Andrew Redmayne, David Williams, Clare Hunt, Dylan Holmes and Alanna Kennedy (Executive Member). 

Featured image: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

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Chelsea Blissett knew it was time for a change “a couple of years ago”.

She had an idea to launch a product that would be an important step forward for not only women’s football but women’s sport as a whole.

After a year of toiling away, this idea soon came to fruition, with Blissett officially launching Style TrackHer this year; a high performance sports bra tailored specifically for women.

The product is essentially a circuit breaker for her and many other female athletes, which would help them perform at an optimal level.

“Professional athletes and even those at the NPL level, use high performance tech like GPS trackers to track performance and to help track loading and I always was thinking… ‘why do we not have our own bras that we can use to slip a GPS pouch on or into’,” Blissett told pfa.net.au

“At the NPL level and even at some A-League clubs we were either given hand me down men’s [GPS] vests or unisex sizes, so they weren’t built for women. They’re either too big, too little, they didn’t have enough sizes to fit everyone properly, so you were either stuck with wearing it over your shirt or you would wear it under your shirt and it was like two sizes too big. It just never quite fit properly.

“You’re wearing an extra layer of material. It doesn’t matter how thin or thick it is. It can still be quite uncomfortable especially if you’re not wearing the right size.

“I really just wanted to create something that was built for women that allowed us to use these high performance technologies in the most comfortable way possible.

“I came up with the idea of creating a really well rounded functional sports bra with all the support and everything that we need in our sports bras and make it in a way that it can be functional for every type of athlete. So whether you are just looking for a really nice comfortable sports bra or you’re competing at a professional level that you need usually high performance technologies, it just comes like an all in one where, you don’t have to worry about whether or not you’re going to get a GPS [vest] that fits or whether it’s too big or too small.”

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Blissett started to get the cogs turning on launching the StyleTrackHer around a year ago, where the idea became a tangible product.

“I looked at manufacturers overseas,” she said.

“I was trying to find someone that would be able to kind of bring the idea to life and I was really quite lucky as I found that quite quickly.

“A manufacturer overseas saw my vision and saw what I wanted to implement, when it came to the design of the sports bra itself. Then over six months went through designing the bra… I ended up having two sample bras and just to kind really make sure that the padding was right, the set was right where the stitching, like fit nicely, whether the actual sleeve itself was big enough for the GPS.

“So over 12 months it was just a process of finding the right fit, finding the right style and then making sure that it was like 100% before we went into production and then that then it itself took around three months.”

Blissett launched Style TrackHer while juggling playing A-League Women’s football with Brisbane Roar last season, and eventually moving back home to Victoria, joining Victory ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.

Despite the associated challenges of balancing football and work, Blissett was determined to get her ‘passion project’ off the ground.

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“Sometimes it was really difficult [to find a balance] especially when it came to crunch time and then moving from Brisbane to Melbourne and having the launch happen within like a month of all that stuff happening,” she said.

“But this is a massive passion project of mine, and I’m really super proud of it what I achieved, being able to try and create a product that had female athletes in mind.

“And yet there were days where obviously it was difficult to juggle everything, but I think at the end of the day when you want something to be the absolute best that you can make it work.”

So far, the early feedback has “been really good” with some of her current teammates trialling the product. Blissett launched the product on Style TrackHer’s socials alongside fellow Victory teammates Nicki Flannery, Sienna Saveska, Payton Woodward and Kennedy White.

But this is just only the first step for Blissett in her new business venture, with the creation of the female-specific sports bra also another step towards the professionalisation of women’s football.

“I feel like it’s such a female oriented product, and I think it’s showing girls that we care and showing that next step when it comes to growing the game that we are now creating female specific products in the high performance space,” she said.

“My dream would be to see it throughout NPL and to hopefully see it throughout the A-League and other competitions, whether it be cricket or netball or basketball.

“It’s not only about professionalising the game through full-time contracts, it’s about professionalising our game with everything that we do as well.

“With the products that are available to us and not getting hand-me-down ones and these bras have women specifically in mind, so they’re able to perform at the highest level.”

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The launch of the product was partially funded by the PFA, through the PFA Craig Foster Scholarship. Chelsea received the scholarship through her work as a passionate advocate for spreading awareness about eating disorders and using her own experiences to educate others at the community football level.

“The PFA Scholarship helps so much, it allowed me to be able to get funding of the design and the first sample of the sports bra, which I actually wouldn’t have been able to do without the PFA Scholarship,” she said.

“It helped me save and help fund my idea, and it was such a blessing to have that scholarship.”

Featured image: supplied

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The Report reveals that the ALW continues to fall further behind leading women’s football leagues globally and other domestic women’s competitions, accelerating the League’s talent drain during the off-season.

Findings from the PFA’s end-of-season survey reveal the ALW is now the least preferred league among its players, while minimum salaries, which were once amongst the highest in Australia, are now the lowest of any major Australian women’s sport.

At the same time, the Report highlights the growing economic opportunity for the ALW, with fan revenues and football revenues projected to far exceed the cost of professionalising the League should clubs make that investment.

Click here to download the PFA’s 2024-25 A-League Women Report

“The ALW has reached a tipping point,” PFA Chief Executive Beau Busch said.  “Without urgent investment and a plan to transition to full-time professionalism by next season, the League risks losing more talent, continuing the damaging cycle of part-time commitments on players, and compromising its connection with fans.

“This Report is an urgent call to action for an industry that is failing to recognise the scale of the opportunity before it. Importantly, it is not too late to do so. 

“The business case is clear – the smart money is on women’s sport and especially football. With the Asian Cup in Australia kicking off in a little over 100 days, the game can take the necessary leap to full-time professionalisation and capitalise on the biggest opportunity in Australian sport.”

PFA Co-President and Brisbane Roar midfielder Tameka Yallop said: “Women’s leagues around the world are grabbing hold of that potential and moving forward and… refocusing so that they are taking those opportunities when presented to them. 

“We had that massive opportunity with the World Cup and we did see a little bit of growth, but there wasn’t any hard sort of platform laid down for it to continue to grow. It was just piggybacking rather than laying the foundations that we needed to lift this league and elevate it.”

Adelaide United midfielder and PFA Executive Committee Member Dylan Holmes said: “There’s a very genuine belief through the players that this league has so much potential, and it has the potential to be one of the best leagues in the world, if not the best league in Asia. But the consensus among the players is that there’s not enough being done to realise that potential when the opportunities are clearly there.”

Canberra United’s Sasha Grove said: “Professionalising the A-League would provide me the security to focus on football full-time. For many players the part-time nature of the ALW creates a lot of uncertainty when it comes to the off-season. Many players are left in the dark when it comes to off-season training and whether or not they will be able to get a contract for the next season. This massively takes away from our ability to grow the women’s game, increase its visibility, and promote domestic talent.

“The post-Asian Cup period provides an opportunity to meaningfully grow the women’s game. Professionalising the ALW during this period is absolutely necessary to keep Australian football in the spotlight and make a strong statement on the support for women’s football and the intention to lift it to greater heights.”

Key Findings from the PFA’s Report Include: 

The ALW talent drain has intensified 
Clubs are increasingly losing players to leagues outside the world’s best, and being forced to recruit from European second, third, and even fifth-tier leagues. The traditional player pipeline from the United States has dried up as the professional football footprint in North America expands.

The ALW’s youth skew has increased

Players aged 21 and under accounted for 32% of match minutes in 2024-25, up from 28% last season. The share of match minutes being played by teenagers rose to 18% in 2024-25 from 15% in 2023-24.
 

Financial insecurity remains alarmingly high for players 
Despite record total player payments of $8.7 million, 76% of players reported their financial situation as ‘not at all’ or only ‘slightly’ secure. 62% worked outside football during the 2024-25 season. The League’s average salary is just over $30,000.

Players prefer an Independent Commission to govern the League

Two in five players expressed dissatisfaction with the Australian Professional Leagues (APL), and 61% support an independent commission to oversee the competition.

While the challenges are significant, the Report also identifies major opportunities for growth. Global investment in women’s football is accelerating, with the transfer market projected to exceed $200 million by 2027.

By embracing full-time professionalisation and securing multi-year contracts, ALW clubs could capture a greater share of this booming market, potentially more than $10 million annually in transfer fees alone.

Prize money for the AFC Women’s Champions League and new FIFA women’s club competitions present another revenue opportunity that will aid the transition to full-time professionalisation.

The PFA will be releasing a players’ vision for the A-League Women in the coming weeks.

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