In 2024, the PFA embarked on a round of extensive research to understand the trajectories of the A-Leagues, the size of the opportunities, and areas for reform. Obviously, a key area of focus was the leagues’ relationships with fans. The PFA engaged leading sports intelligence agency Gemba to conduct market sizing and a mass fan survey. Separately, the PFA conducted its own ‘mini’ fan focus groups with fans (current, potential, or lapsed) of the two leagues. This report summarises the findings of the A-League Men (ALM) focus groups. 

The ALM focus groups were held in June, 2024. The PFA targeted participants who were once passionate ALM fans, whose support had waned to some degree over the years. The logic of this targeted approach is that the ALM’s support – in the form of attendances, viewership, and Gemba’s underlying metrics – was significantly higher a decade ago than today. Simply returning to those levels represents a significant upside opportunity for the ALM and it is theoretically easier to reengage lapsed fans than to attract brand new ones. As a result, the insights are most relevant to understand what has changed in the past decade and what factors might convert the ‘lowest hanging fruit’. This study is not as relevant for understanding how to get the general population interested in football in the first place, for example. 

The PFA reached out through staff contacts and fan networks to recruit participants. Seven ALM fans participated across two ‘mini’ focus groups. There were fans of Sydney FC (x2), Central Coast Mariners, Melbourne Victory, Melbourne City, Adelaide United, and Perth Glory. The participants were all men, not by design but because they were the only suitable candidates available to attend. There was a broad range of ages. 

The fans were asked to describe factors that contributed to their initial conversion into ALM die-hards and then to their decline in engagement. The conversations were analysed to identify consistent themes or aspects discussed by multiple participants. Seventeen resulting insights have been organised into six categories, as shown in the table below. Throughout this report, each insight is supported by a paraphrased summary of the relevant fan comments, a selection of the actual quotes, or a combination of the two. 

The PFA will synthesise the most pertinent findings into a broader document recommending reforms for the ALM across a range of areas. This standalone report serves to provide the industry with the full range of insights surfaced through the conversations, for the purpose of sharing valuable and constructive knowledge. 

Summary of insights

Theme: Beginnings

Prior love of football: Most of the fans followed football before they followed the ALM 

All but one of the participants followed the ALM since its inception. The other one became a fan of Melbourne Heart when it started. 

Four of the seven participants followed overseas football before the ALM started. Three of these were migrants from the UK. When the ALM started, it was natural that they would support a team in it, they said. Two of the other three were ‘born into’ support as they were taken to games by their dads. The final participant was more of an AFL fan but got interested after his kids started playing football. 

Hype: The initial launch of the ALM captured the imagination 

Even though fans accepted that the league would not be on a par with the world’s best, the launch of the ALM was seen as a promising step forward for Australian football. In the case of the Central Coast supporter, just having a team in that region was a new opportunity. 

Key quotes: 

“When the A-League started, I saw that as a real possibility for football to take a step forward.” 

“I’ll never forget that first game at Olympic Park where there were queues of people. I think 3,000 or 4,000 people got locked out of the first game. They just couldn’t get in.” 

Ritual: Attending matches became a habit with a social focus 

Most of the supporters tended to go to games with their mates, and enjoyed the social experience of a ‘day out’. The others went with family members. The quality of beer at venues was mentioned, exemplifying the importance of the social aspect. 

Key quotes: 

“I went with my dad. My dad stopped going due to work commitments and then I went with a lot of my friends. It would be just like a tradition for us just to go every Saturday, Sunday after dinner or something to the football.” 

“For Adelaide, it was usually Friday night or Saturday afternoon. Have a yarn with the fellows. Beers. A good match day.” 

“The A-League was about to start and I was missing football quite badly [after moving from the UK]. I got a season ticket straight away at Sydney FC. A whole group of my mates and me headed down to Sydney FC to watch the A-League. It was more as a social thing.” 

Theme: Decline

Note: Other Themes will touch on other aspects which might explain the league’s decline in support, but this one reflects the answers when participants were asked about this directly. 

Life phases: Some support wanes because of changed circumstances 

If the participants themselves had not lost their enthusiasm for the league, they had friends or family who had. A common reason for this was changes in life phases. For example, when kids came along, the social day out with the mates was harder to maintain. Or if older kids had been attending, they might grow up and out of support as teenagers if they preferred to do other things. The COVID-19 pandemic had caused one participant to be less social. 

In only one case, the life change ‘forced’ the person to stop supporting, because they moved overseas. Therefore, this finding indicates that the league has struggled to retain local supporters through changing circumstances. 

Key quotes: 

“Kids then came along and that started to change a little bit of how we went to the games because other things started to take over.” 

“I drifted away primarily, I think, because the kids and their other sports.” 

Governance: Fans have been turned off by poor management of clubs and the league 

The fans actively blamed the clubs and league management for contributing to a downturn in support across the league. 

One fan was specifically upset with the performance of the APL since achieving separation from Football Australia, and another also criticised the decision to sell the Grand Final hosting rights. 

The Perth fan felt his club had become complacent and uncompetitive in recent seasons. The Central Coast fan said that the club had strayed from its initially strong community engagement work, although it had recently turned this around. The Melbourne City fan felt the club had neglected fan engagement since the City Football Group takeover, and felt now like a business, not a club. 

Key quotes: 

“It just lost that… I don’t know, that pizazz, that je ne sais quoi, I don’t know what. It just didn’t have that feeling anymore. It was a very staid, bland approach to the fans.” 

“In those early days, people would be asking, ‘Oh, have you got a spare ticket?’ I’d be getting phone calls, messages, whatever. Today, I can’t even give them away. I don’t have as many memberships, but I can’t even ring people. How would you like to come together? ‘No, I’m busy’. I’ve even gone to some of the games by myself. It’s just been a lack of interest.” 

“Then, of course, came that horrible period when the APL decided to send the Grand Final to Sydney.” 

“There’s a series of business decisions the APL have taken rightly or wrongly that have not put them in good stead with the footballing community.” 

Theme: Active support

Selling point: Football’s unique atmosphere is seen as the league’s greatest asset 

Active support was the most common topic to come up organically among participants. Whether or not the participant was themselves a member of their club’s active group, they all strongly endorsed the importance of active support in providing a compelling matchday experience. Several said it was the number one most important thing to get right for the league to thrive. 

Key quotes: 

“One of the selling points of the league is its active support. It differentiates us from all the other sports that are so popular in Australia. It’s something that should be a priority for the league because it brings passion for the fans who are there behind the goal, which is infectious to the fans that turn up on every seating the stands. And then it’s a point of difference to every other sport in Australia.” 

“The fans were good fun. The active were quite noisy, quite vocal, and created that atmosphere, I think, that football is supposed to be all about.” 

“I think the active support is so important. I actually went to Central Coast Mariners versus Sydney a few months back and took my daughter and her friend. They’re 17. They were so excited to see all the Sydney fans with the blow-up inflatables down in the corner and the lilos and the beach balls. They went the following week to see Sydney FC again, and they’re starting now to go more regularly. So that whole piece was great because it really added a different edge to the sport and also made the girls feel welcome.” 

“Thankfully, now the North End is back and it’s made a huge difference to going to Victory games. The highlight, as far as my Victory supporters are concerned, was in the second season. We were playing out of Marvel Stadium. There were 50,000 people there just for a home and away against Sydney. Fifty thousand people. We’ve never got to that stage again. Back in the early days, Victory fans were there because of the North end, because the North End and the South End, chanting at each other. When that died off, fans died off. Now they’ve come back and the fans are coming back.” 

Support the support: More should be done by clubs and the league to facilitate actives and atmosphere 

Different clubs have different experiences with regards to issues such as fan relations, but it was a common view that more should be done to support, encourage, and facilitate active supporters. 

In the view of the fans, active supporters should be treated as assets who perform a role in enhancing matchday. They were sometimes treated the opposite, with higher ticket prices in active areas acting as a “tax on loyalty”. 

The Glory fan said the club had a good relationship with the fans, but had challenges with venue security, particularly with the chopping and changing of home grounds. 

Key quotes: 

“Give those active supporters as much help as they can to get the atmosphere into the stadium that will bring the people, that will drive the revenue. Active support makes all the difference. You want to make that the best theatre in town that everybody wants to get to.” 

“The club itself should be engaging with active and they should be encouraging active. It grieves me that Melbourne City … there isn’t that embracing of the active group, because I just absolutely adore the active component in soccer. The active should be subsidised. I mean, they really are the life of the game on a game day. If we can get that active group going and firing, I reckon it steamrolls from there. That’s why I said I find it fascinating that they try to charge the active areas more than the rest of the ground. It should be the other way around. It just blows my mind that bit.” 

“We’ve had boom times and bust times with different policies from clubs or the league itself that have hampered some ideas from the fans themselves to display passion and their love of club. These days, it sounds like some clubs have good relationships with their active supporters and have understandings and allow them to do tifos and other stuff. Others have a rockier relationship, so it’s different for each club. But it’s something that should be fostered.” 

“I did find it funny or weird, though, that the active sections of the ground now seem to be more expensive than some of the other parts of the ground. I wasn’t quite sure how do you relate that when you’re trying to get more people into those active areas, because that’s where the passion is sitting. If you can expand that, then you expand your whole supporter base.” 

Policing: The problematic edge of active support is overblown and manageable 

The fans were not naïve to the fact of some fans doing the wrong thing at ALM matches, but on balance, they viewed the response by police, venue security, and some media to be disproportionate to the actual incidence or risk of incidence, in part due to a lack of understanding of football culture. This turned off active fans directly, and the subsequent loss of atmosphere undermined the attraction of matchday for other fans. 

Some fans acknowledged that clubs did not have control over their stadia or police/security personnel, so did not fully blame the clubs. But clubs and the league were seen by some as erring on the side of deference to those groups rather than backing in their fans, and therefore losing an invaluable asset. 

The preferred way for the issue to be dealt with was for clubs to have strong, proactive relationships with their fan groups and other stakeholders. There was no problem with people who did do the wrong thing to be punished. 

Key quotes: 

“I think the clubs probably have a legitimate fear that they could get very bad publicity for certain things. But at times, over the life of the league, they’ve cut off their nose despite their face, dampened active support on the side of safety.” 

“One thing that does really niggle me is the way the police and the authorities and commercial TV jump on any little thing and make it a big deal because it’s football and not AFL or NRL. I don’t know whether Steven Conroy with his political influence … it just needs to be tampered back because the whole point of supporting in football over the other games, the big advantage is the atmosphere and the emotion that goes into supporting football is so much higher than the other sports in my view. But that’s dampened by the way the police respond to pathetic little things, really, and make a big deal of it. That dampens, I’m sure, a lot of people’s inclination to want to go and support the game. They’re being picked on.” 

“There have been a fair few issues between the active support and the security [at Perth games]. There’s complaints upon complaints, and I guess that would put people’s noses out of joint to want to return. We’ve always had a really good active support with the Shed, a couple of thousand people. The atmosphere is great. But there is a bit of animosity between security at the venue and the active support.” 

“You’d walk into roughly where the North End is situated [at Marvel Stadium] just because that was the entry that you came into the stadium. Here you’ve got all these riot police with batons and stuff like that just standing around. What the hell are we walking into? In the early days, we did have flares going off and all of that stuff. Now, I’m sure all of us have been to stadiums overseas where it’s not one or two flares, it’s 200 flares that are going off. I think it was in Marseille, there’s security people with fire resistant gloves on, picking them up and putting them straight into a 44 gallon drum. I couldn’t understand why can’t we just take a leaf out of those books? It’s like, ‘we’re better than those Europeans’. ‘We know better’. No, you don’t. You actually need to learn from it.” 

“I think it’s a tough one. Having followed England for many years at football, where you’ve had the hooligan element, they have to be managed and controlled because it just ruins the whole thing otherwise. But at the same time, some of the most fun moments I can remember are about being in the middle of a lot of fans just having a lot of fun. That creates that and that magic that’s very different. So yes, you do have to control it to a degree, but things like having the bands at sporting events, it’s great fun. It creates an atmosphere. It creates some singing. It creates people wanting to go along. As long as you’re not stood next to a drum or a trumpet that can’t play properly, it does help with that atmosphere. And that atmosphere is really important.” 

Theme: Broadcast / media

Synergy: At its peak, the ALM received more incidental viewership 

Several of the fans recalled how when the A-League Men was broadcast by Fox Sports alongside other football content, they were more likely to watch matches as part of habitual or organic viewer behaviours. 

One fan who is a Tottenham diehard and watches every Spurs match live said he used to watch every Sydney FC away game, but dropped off Fox and the ALM when Optus took over the Premier League rights. 

Another fan said he would watch whatever ALM match was on because Fox Sports was on “in the background” on a weekend. Fox’s channel-based programming would have one game bleed into another, anchored by analysis, features, and match previews from the studio. Paramount’s set-up requires fans to specifically click in to each match. 

Key quotes: 

“Back in the peak [of support], I’d have Fox still running at home on the weekend, whichever game was on. You’d pop in, pop out. I’m not there intimately watching whoever it is, Adelaide versus Central Coast or whatever. But it would be on there in the background, just pop in, pop out. Now … you just don’t always know when games are on. You’re not necessarily aware of what’s happening.” 

“I think when it was easy to watch some of the games on SBS and Fox originally, when Optus came in took the Premier League, I tended to drop off all of the Fox channels, and I had Optus. I couldn’t really watch the A-League as much because … all the games didn’t appear to be on SBS, or if they were on SBS, they weren’t well advertised as to the times that they were on. So that dropped me away a little. I think once you get out of the habit of going, it’s hard to get back into it.” 

Paramount: Early technical issues created a negative first impression 

The fans have a negative perception of the Paramount+ streaming service which has carried the broadcast rights for the last few years. This was caused by technical issues in the early days of the partnership. There was some acknowledgement that the issues may have been ironed out. 

The problems with the broadcast were linked directly to a loss of interest in attending matches. 

Key quotes: 

“Paramount+, the streaming service, has been disappointing. I signed up as a free trial member to watch the A-League. But when I had dropping out, slowing down in live matches … watching matches live is really important to some of us, and it stops mid-game, mid-shot. It ruins the experience. And so that curbed my watching of matches, which then inevitably, it leads me to not have as strong a feeling and then fall off from going live matches, consequently. And then I see that with my parents who used to watch every A-League match from every team, and just they don’t know how to work Paramount+. So then they lose interest, too, for similar reasons.” 

“I haven’t been with Paramount for a little while now, but the trouble with Paramount was that they had the free thing to start with, which was great, and it gave you an intro to the Paramount platform, but their production was pretty woeful. And it’s probably improved [but] I haven’t seen it recently.” 

“Paramount is a heap of crap.” 

(In)visibility: Due to lack of media and promotion, the league feels out of sight and out of mind  

Several fans raised the lack of mainstream media coverage as a reason the league is struggling to grow support. A lack of coverage meant semi-engaged fans wouldn’t know when matches were on. To a degree, this was seen to be outside of APL’s control with non-aligned media outlets such as Channels 7 and 9 choosing to prioritise other sports. If football is covered, it’s the Matildas or the Premier League. 

The fans do want to see Channel 10 do more to promote their own product in the way those other channels do, and for APL to find a way to make the league more freely accessible, with less content behind a paywall. 

Key quotes: 

“You don’t hear football on the mainstream TV much. Unfortunately, they’ll cover the Premier League more than they will the A-League. And it’s rugby, it’s cricket, it’s league. Football or soccer is way down on the list.” 

“Channel 10 don’t seem to give it the plug that really they should be. You look at Channel 9, all they do is plug NRL and then the tennis, and then the Olympics, and Channel 7, plug AFL and cricket. But Channel 10, hardly anything. So that pisses me off … 10 and Paramount, either put up or bugger off, really.” 

“I think it’s not just Paramount. I think the A-League needs to be able to make sure that the product is available a little more freely and easily for people, more widely. It’s all very well to have the top game or the top two games on [FTA] for a period, but you need to have more games available so that people can sit down and actually watch their home game, their team playing if they can’t get to the match.” 

“Get the matches on free air TV. Have it consistent, have it visible. You’d hope, if the free to air channels have it, then they talk about it, and then they have the intermixing with their other dumb shows, but at least they’re talking about it. And we get some eyes back on the game because the quality is there.” 

Theme: On-field product

Quality: The standard of football is high, and matches are exciting 

The consensus is that the ALM has improved a lot since its early days, and that the football product is attractive. 

The fans said that while it is obviously below the standard of the Premier League, for example, that did not matter so long as the league was exciting and entertainment, which they generally found it to be. 

The challenge, they said, was getting the product in front of more eyeballs. 

Key quotes: 

“I think the quality on the pitch is as good as it has been. That’s great. It’s just that the awareness of it to try and grow the pie is not there.” 

“It’s all about promotion of the league, which I think was probably the more important piece than it was of the quality of those players on the field. I’m not really meaning to say, ‘Oh, well, the Premier League is so much better quality’. It’s not just about that. It’s about the excitement of the sport and the passion that’s there. I think we’ve got to be careful when we talk about the quality of it. It’s actually the spectacle more than the quality.” 

“I think the game has improved out of sight over here from what it used to be. The A-League has certainly gone in leaps and bounds, probably stagnated a little bit just of late. But I think the standard is pretty good, and I’m not expecting it to be Premier League standard.” 

“Its inception, at a league level, was slow. Some matches were rough to watch, but the enthusiasm got us across the line. But spending on players, spending on coaches, getting more knowledge into the game allowed it to grow. We’re not [like Premier League], but there’s some pleasantly entertaining football happening in the last maybe 15 years or so. Now we have plenty of great games each weekend. So the quality is there.” 

Players: Focus on local products and youth development narratives 

In terms of player profiles, the fans were attracted to players whose stories they could connect to, such as local heroes and young talents on their way to bigger and better things. Young fans could aspire to watch A-League talents develop then move on with well wishes. 

Among these fans, there was not much interest in marquee players, but they accepted that they may have a role in attracting less engaged fans. 

There was also acknowledgement that high player churn has affected fans’ ability to connect with players and teams.  

Key quotes: 

“I’m pretty comfortable with the current mix of youth, established locals, sprinkled with some foreign players. The marquee doesn’t grab me. I’d rather see an overall development plan of locals coming through.” 

“Some of my favourite players are Damien Brown, Andrew Clark, because they were born on the Coast, played for the Central Coast Coasties before the Mariners, then played for the Mariners. If we can develop players on the Central Coast and they represent Central Coast and they give it to the Jets players, that’d be perfect. Love it. And you retain them over ten, 15 years and you create club legends. It pains me to remember that Matt Simon played for Sydney FC. He could have a stint overseas, but should have been Mariners throughout his career. That story makes clubs’ identity stronger, and it’s the stories around the game and between players and clubs, like rivalries between Mariners and Sydney, Mariners and Jets that make it fun to go to home games, away games and build up the interest in the league. So developing players locally as best you can and retain them on, I don’t know, sweetener deals or something, some reward for being loyal to a club, because I think we can’t get the best players in the world, but we can get our best players.” 

“All of us on this call can accept the A-League has always been a league where people either start or end their career. It shouldn’t ever have been perhaps one where people are at their peak. I don’t think it’s detractive for neutrals or even Australian-based fans. I think it’s a great opportunity for engagement saying, you’ll see these guys one day playing in Europe, South America, Asia. Let’s give them the platform so that they can ply their trade here before we send them up to go wherever they need to. That puts the money back into the league, puts money back in with transfer fees.” 

“One little issue I have is the turnover of players at a number of clubs. There’s some players that have been to about six or seven different A-League clubs. So the fans to build up a loyalty to a team when half of them are gone at the end of the season. I think for some would be hard.” 

Jeopardy: A desire for more competitiveness, but mixed views on pro/rel 

A drawback of the ALM is the potential for complacency at the bottom end of the table. This wasn’t necessarily about low stakes matches within a season. The fans of Perth Glory and Central Coast Mariners specifically were frustrated by eras where their clubs didn’t seem to have a willingness or desire to compete. 

Two of the seven fans supported the introduction of promotion and relegation to address this issue by raising the stakes for failure and creating more excitement at the lower end of the table. The Perth fan said the lack of pro/rel was a factor in his club’s malaise, but did not offer a view for or against. One fan opposed pro/rel due to the financial risk to clubs. The others did not mention it. 

The concept of competitive balance did not come up explicitly, but when the importance of winning and losing was mentioned, it was not seen to be the be all and end all, as long as the club was doing other things right. 

Key quotes:   

“When I’m talking about the competitiveness, I think there’s not a lot for teams to play for if they’re not going for the league. Those teams outside the six pretty much throw the season away because there’s not really a fight. There’s no relegation.” 

“So promotion relegation, that is good because the times when I’ve been disappointed in the Mariners isn’t because they were losing per se. It’s because they weren’t fielding a team that seemed like they wanted to fight, seem like they wanted to win, seem like the club was wanting to win. At that time, we would have been relegated for certain. And then we would fight, hopefully for promotion back into the A-League, but you would have exciting feelings at the bottom of the league, top of the league, and even fighting to get back.” 

“One of the things I personally think that we lack with the A-League is promotion relegation. Do you really have that passion that comes at both the top and the bottom of the league? And it’s different to all the other sports in Australia, which will help, I believe.” 

“I’m a bit sceptical about promotion relegation at the moment. I’m not quite sure whether the league is quite there at the moment. The money worries me a bit.” 

“I don’t have an active recollection of [Adelaide] United performing well [at time of peak fandom], but they had good stadium fan engagement on match day. So irrespective of the result, it was a good time to spend.” 

“Obviously, winning is a great recipe. But if you build that club community, we’ll be there despite the results.” 

“That’s exactly how I felt about Melbourne Heart when I first joined. They weren’t winning. They weren’t going anywhere. But boy, it was fun. And I thoroughly enjoyed it. But then it just lost that.” 

Theme: Fan engagement

Engagement: Clubs must proactively build relationships with supporters 

The fans said clubs should be actively engaging with their existing supporters, including through formal relationships and channels of communication. Fans wanted to feel heard and appreciated this project for that opportunity. There was a feeling that this had fallen away at some clubs, particularly by the Melbourne City fan.  

This work would build a sense of an active ‘community’ style relationship to the club, rather than a passive ‘customer’ style relationship to a business. It would make fans feel heard and help resolve issues such as challenges with active support. 

Key quotes: 

“It’s pretty good to see that there’s some initiatives or something in place to get that consultation piece with the supporters, because I personally don’t think supporters have been heard before, as in their opinions or anything. It wasn’t really factored in.” 

“”I think [during Melbourne Heart] there was better communication with the fans. They put on events where the fans could come after the game. At AAMI Stadium, they had one of the rooms there, and you could go up there and meet the players after the game if you wanted to. Those sorts of things were on all the time. You felt that, well, at least they’re connecting with the group, the fans, and that doesn’t happen anymore.” 

 “I just wanted I want to go along to the club and feel that I’m part of a club, not going along to watch an event that is put on. I want to feel as though I’m welcomed, I’m embraced, I’m wanted, and that the atmosphere is there to actually encourage me to want to go back again.” 

Community: Be like the Mariners and connect with local clubs, schools, and businesses 

Clubs should also be doing more to connect with their local communities, including local grassroots clubs and schools. Central Coast was initially seen as an exemplar in this regard, with even a Sydney FC fan harking back to the days when Lawrie McKinna was the coach. The Mariners had dropped off and more recently bounced back in its community engagement. The Mariners fan celebrated that the beer on sale at the stadium was from a local brewery. 

Multiple fans suggested that clubs give free tickets to local kids, noting that the stadiums had plenty of capacity to accommodate them (and their paying parents). One reflected that it was challenging that the A-League and grassroots seasons did not overlap. 

Two of the fans had taken to attending state league football as a way to feel closer to an authentic football experience. 

Key quotes: 

“For the Mariners, the first couple of seasons were amazing in terms of the community connection. You would see the players at so many local events. Lawrie McKinna was in every postcode possible doing everything. He was like, spruiking the team as much as coaching. That created the level of support that we had then. When that feeling fell off, it wasn’t that the club was awful at it. It was just so good at the start that when they took the pedal off the metal, slowed down a bit in community relations, it was just worse in comparison. And I do have to commend the Mariners in the more recent years, they’ve got back to that high level before.” 

“I ended up following Central Coast a little bit because of Lawrie McKinna and his enthusiasm.” 

“While we’ve got plenty of space in the stands at the moment, the free tickets is definitely the way to go.” 

“I’d like to see a lot more free tickets to the schools, so you encourage that whole grassroots and try to grow the supporter bases. If you can grab them young … I was seven when I really got the bug. I’m a lot older than that now. It stayed with me throughout my life. And although I go and watch the AFL, I’ve been to a few NRL games. I’ve been to a few rugby matches, but football is the one that I’ve tended to stick with all the time.” 

“Being a club president, there’s that disconnect between the club members and the A-League. And unfortunately, it’s because the clubs run in the winter and the A-League runs in the summer. Yes, there’s an overlap. But generally speaking, you would expect that kids would be playing their under 8, 9, 10 game on a Saturday, Sunday morning, and that afternoon, off they go to watch Victory or City or whoever it happens to be. But because there’s that disconnect in seasons, they’re playing their 8, 9, 10-year-old game, and then in the afternoon, off they go to watch an AFL game.” 

 “Make that connection between the community clubs and the A-League clubs. We’re actually a Victory Community member. The chances of getting a Victory player to come down and attend training, kick a ball with the kids is very, very rare because there’s just not enough of them and there’s too many of us.” 

Venues: Chopping and changing broke the habit of supporting, for some 

The two Sydney FC fans raised the hiatus from Allianz Stadium while it was being rebuilt as an issue which contributed to a decline in interest by them or others they knew.  

The Perth fan said that the stint at Macedonia Park had brought similar challenges, especially as active support was handled worse by a venue less familiar with it. 

The post PFA A-League Men Fan Focus Group appeared first on The PFA.

In 2024, the PFA embarked on a round of extensive research to understand the trajectories of the A-Leagues, the size of the opportunities, and areas for reform. Obviously, a key area of focus was the leagues’ relationships with fans. The PFA engaged leading sports intelligence agency Gemba to conduct market sizing and a mass fan survey. Separately, the PFA conducted its own ‘mini’ fan focus groups with fans (current, potential, or lapsed) of the two leagues. This report summarises the findings of the A-League Women (ALW) focus groups. 

The ALW focus groups were held in June, 2024. The PFA targeted participants who were recently converted Matildas fans, with a view to understanding emerging women’s football fandom in Australia and the opportunities for domestic club football. The logic of this targeted approach was that this group represents a new and less-understood potential segment of the ALW fanbase. Two months after the focus groups, an interview with WSL chief executive Nicki Doucet was published in which she said her organisation’s own market research had identified three distinct segments.¹ The third segment she described is remarkably consistent with the cohort captured through this study. So this research should be understood to provide a deep insight into one important segment, while recognising that there are other segments that may have different attitudes. As a byproduct of the approach, the first half of this document can be taken as a standalone analysis of what has contributed to the phenomenal increase in Matildas support. 

The PFA reached out through staff contacts and fan networks to recruit participants. Twelves Matildas fans participated across three ‘mini’ focus groups. These fans ranged from low to high engagement with the ALW. The participants were all women, not by design but because they were the only suitable candidates available to attend. There was a broad range of ages, but a common profile was middle-aged with teenaged children. Several identified as being from the LGBT+ community. 

The focus groups were structured in two parts. In the first half, the fans were asked to describe their conversion into Matildas die-hards. The second half focused on their perceptions of the ALW. The conversations were analysed to identify consistent themes or aspects discussed by multiple participants. Twenty-six resulting insights have been organised into nine categories, as shown in the table below. Throughout this report, each insight is supported by a paraphrased summary of the relevant fan comments, a selection of the actual quotes, or a combination of the two. 

The PFA will synthesise the most pertinent findings into a broader document recommending reforms for the ALW across a range of areas. This standalone report serves to provide the industry with the full range of insights surfaced through the conversations, for the purpose of sharing valuable and constructive knowledge.

Summary of insights

Part One: Matildas

Theme: Catching the bug

Discovery: The 2023 Women’s World Cup was the gateway for new Matildas die-hards 

Eight of the 12 participants either discovered the Matildas during the 2023 Women’s World Cup, or converted from vague awareness to super-fandom during the tournament. At least two only tuned in as late as the quarter-final against France. 

Most did not have a history of sports fandom. 

Several mentioned that their tween-aged children (girls and boys, usually grassroots players) originally prompted them to go to a match or fan site. Others somewhat stumbled onto the broadcast, which highlighted the importance of accessible coverage. 

Epiphany: The spectacle and groundswell of the tournament – and especially its meaning for women – got them hooked 

Key quotes: 

“Something happened in me where I just thought, holy shit. I feel something. It was like this awakening. I’d never really seen powerful women in sports before. I was just mesmerised by how fearless they were.” 

“I was watching an episode of Gordon Ramsay that night and changed the channel right before the penalty shootout.  I was like, oh, yeah, this is on. Go, women!” 

“It was very moving. Growing up, I never had teams like that to follow. I never played sport apart from in the schoolground. So to be a part of that the groundswell behind them. Also, the way it’s cut across all ages, male and female, I think it’s just been a really a uniting movement.” 

“It gets under your skin and you just want to be part of it somehow.” 

Commitment: Support has sustained or escalated since the World Cup 

Despite most not previously being football or sports fans, the participants have escalated support for the Matildas and women’s football since the World Cup. This sample has survivor bias, but none had lapsed or lost ‘the bug’. Actions include: 

• Attending more Matildas matches and open training sessions, including interstate and overseas (planning on Olympics) 

• Watching documentaries, joining social media groups, listening to podcasts 

• Traveling to the UK to watch WSL, and watching WSL and NWSL on TV 

• Becoming ALW members 

• Recruiting others into fandom 

Key quotes: 

“Football has been woven into our lives as a really positive family experience. We have a family [ALW] membership. I listened to probably three hours of podcasts on women’s football a week. I now subscribe to Optus Sport. It’s just become something that I never knew that there was this side to me before, and I just can’t let it go.” 

“I bought myself a [Sydney FC] membership, got my nephews the kids passes, and then I’ve gotten all my sister and brother-in-law and my mum into it. I’m going to France. I’m so in. It’s really taken over my life, massively.” 

Theme: Drivers to fandom (what is it about this team?)

Player stories: Connecting with the Matildas’ personalities 

Every single participant talked about connecting with the individual people behind the shirt. The aspects of the players’ personalities which resonated were their humility, authenticity, and the theme of individual and collective journeys and progress. There was also a lot of interest, especially among younger relatives, in following the players’ club careers and relationships. 

Several described the players as “accessible”, with this being achieved through documentaries, social media, interviews, and in-person fan interactions. 

Key quotes: 

“They are great talent on and off the pitch. It’s very real. It’s very humble. They’ve not entered this sport as superstars. Who they are as people really helps you anchor in emotionally to this team and stay there. You want to see them succeed as human beings beyond just representing Australia at the highest levels … just them, the people.” 

“[Football Australia] have been very clever, the strategy of making them as accessible as they are. You think that you could be friends with them and you’d enjoy their company, you’d love to have them around. They’ve really humanised them so they’re not just players on a field.” 

“[Stepdaughter fan] is player-specific rather than team and community-focused. She knows everyone on the team. She knows what other clubs they play for when they’re not representing Australia. She knows who they’re dating or what the rumours of who’s dating who is. And she is so invested in the individual players’ stories and who they are as people. I think that drives a lot of her passion.”      

Family: The players are role models, and the team is a vehicle for families to connect 

The players are seen to embody values and model behaviours which provide a positive influence on young fans and old. Examples: 

• Mary Fowler wearing her signature gloves and headband, because those suit the way she wants to feel as she plays, seen as “a powerful and inspirational example for a family with neurodivergence” 

• Michelle Heyman’s determination to get back to the top seen as inspirational for women hitting a second peak in their work lives 

• Lydia Williams being a strong and proud Indigenous woman and leader 

• Players being out, proud, and successful LGBT+ icons 

• Young boys looking up to world class women players as the football heroes they want to emulate 

Further to that, several participants have shared their fan journeys with their children or other family members. Football loving or playing kids were often the instigators of support and providers of expert knowledge about the team. 

Key quotes: 

“I absolutely would say that I’m a big Tillies fan now, and it’s lovely to have that to share with the kids. And it’s lovely for them to see me excited about sport because it’s definitely not something that I cared about nearly as much before.” 

“Given that my introduction to Tillies passion came through a young person in my life, I think initially a lot of that excitement, passion was borrowed from her. That was something so important to her that my girlfriend and I created opportunities for her to experience that more.” 

Unity and legacy: Working together towards a “higher purpose” 

At least four fans mentioned that the Matildas’ unity, togetherness, and teamwork, on and off the pitch, as an appealing aspect. This unity is seen as being in pursuit of a “higher purpose” or desire to create a legacy beyond results. One fan positively compared the Matildas’ team spirit and mission with the USWNT’s more cutthroat, results-focused culture, as observed through their respective docuseries. 

Key quotes: 

“It’s the unity of the team. It’s not just the players on the field, but everybody behind the scenes as well. The hard work behind the scenes has [made] them as strong, as confident, and as emotionally stable and powerful on the field as they can be. That’s everyone working together for that final goal.” 

“It’s absolutely a team that’s larger than the team that you just see on the field … it’s not just a few golden heroes. It’s that whole ‘we are the Matildas’, and it’s all of them.” 

“The fact that we got fourth and it still was a transformational moment. I think the Matildas, to me, seem more focused on building something lasting, not necessarily being the best, but to change the game. They’re game changers. They don’t need to be winners to be game changers. They just are.” 

Representation: The Matildas as an attractive metaphor for social progress 

The Matildas are seen as standard-bearers for women and the LGBT+ community. The team’s success reflects the progress of those groups. That success can be on-field results, but also achieving higher pay and conditions, and achieving legitimacy by attracting unprecedented crowds and media attention. 

None of the fans mentioned this as an explicit message that has been delivered by the team – it’s more symbolic and inherently felt. It was expressed as “being part of something” and “belonging”, which captures a sense of collective ownership and inclusion (as opposed to a passive ‘spectator sport’). It is also not to the exclusion of other groups – the Matildas are seen as a team for everyone, whereas men’s sports are more for men. 

Key quotes: 

“The rise of the Tillies is on the back of a larger cultural movement in women’s equality. We’re seeing that in multiple different sectors: employment, women’s rights, focus on safety and women in relationships and so forth. The Tillies are like the poster girls of that. They’re there to show young women you can achieve amazing things in your life. And I think that’s where it really hits me hard is that amazing things are possible for you as a young woman.” 

“The Women’s World Cup games were just like… I cannot believe there are so many people who have turned out for a women’s sporting team. Those early games felt a lot like: ‘We’re all here. I didn’t think you would be here.’ And we were like: ‘Yeah, we all came.’ It just felt like a landmark moment.” 

“A lot of it is their personalities, but also the inclusivity of the LGBTQ+ community that really hooks people in. And it’s good to see that representation in a sport at a national level that you don’t really see.” 

“Sam Kerr during the World Cup was a big draw just because of her personality and her character. But for me as well, I’m queer, so being a lesbian, it is nice to just see that representation, especially because I don’t feel like we get it a lot in fictional media that’s really accessible. There’s just something really nice about being able to just support people from my community.” 

Theme: Media consumption

Learning from scratch: Explanatory and non-judgmental information sources are appreciated 

For most of the participants, their sudden passion exceeded their knowledge. There was a lot to learn about the rules, the football landscape (clubs, leagues, internationals, women’s v men’s), the intricacies of performance, tactics, form, selection, and so on. 

They appreciated sources of information which were explanatory and non-judgmental towards newcomers. For example, one mentioned a women’s football podcast where one co-host was an expert and the other wasn’t, so the discussion catered to all levels. They took cues from media figures such as Craig Foster and Samantha Maiden, and deferred to certain posters in their Facebook groups who would explain on-field aspects of the players’ performances or careers. 

Social media and pod- and vodcasts were the key channels used for this purpose. 

Key quotes: 

“[re: a Matildas Facebook group] There’s just so much information and everyone’s great. It’s a great community, and there’s no stupid questions.” 

Player stories: Docuseries and social accounts provide off-field access 

There was also a strong attraction to channels which provided access to the players’ personal stories, such as the various docuseries and individual social media accounts. Seven of the 12 participants mentioned watching Matildas documentaries. 

One’s partner allowed her 12-year-old daughter access to Instagram solely for the purpose of following the Matildas. 

Key quotes: 

“I follow all the Instagram pages, know every detail about their lives.” 

“I’ve watched all the documentaries, not just about the Matildas, but Welcome to Wrexham, the Lionesses documentary, the Angel City documentary. They are such a great gateway. So much of it about it is who the people are and making you care about it. That has made me viciously connect to this soccer team in Wales … why would I ever care about them? But I care about them because of this documentary.” 

Broadcast and streaming: Women’s football can drive subscriptions 

Around half of the participants mentioned subscription services they had joined specifically to watch women’s football content, from Paramount+ for the ALW, to Optus Sport for WSL and NWSL, and Stan for the Trailblazers documentary. 

Mainstream fail: When mainstream media was mentioned, it was criticised 

When mainstream news was mentioned, which was rarely, it was criticised for not giving enough coverage to women’s sport. ABC News Breakfast and print newspapers were namechecked in this regard. Mainstream media or television broadcasts were not important sources of information about the Matildas. 

Theme: Attending matches

Safety: An absence of the perceived toxicity and aggression of men’s sport 

The safety of the environment at women’s football was explicitly raised by two thirds of the participants. Matildas matches feel welcoming and inclusive for women, families, and LGBT+ people. The vibe feels positive and supportive. There’s less swearing and abuse. This stands in contrast to men’s football or other sports like AFL. The way the match itself is played, in a tough but fair way with less violence, adds to this theme. 

Key quotes: 

“I just absolutely love how the culture fits me as a person. I’m not an aggressive person, but boy, I can scream my lungs out if I care about something. But I don’t do it with the male football geezer culture… It’s a family place. It’s full of energy. It’s warm and welcoming. People chat to each other in the seats. People offer each other chocolate and stuff. People are now swapping bracelets and stuff. It’s a female and family-driven culture. And also safe LGBTQI+ people. Yeah, it’s good.” 

“It’s a predominantly women-based environment. It feels safe … I actually love seeing the boys and the men there, too, and everyone’s cheering them on. But you’ve got less abuse being called out. You’ve got better language. It’s a happier atmosphere, so there’s just less argy bargy and all of that.” 

“Going to the games, it feels safe, which it doesn’t always when you’re talking about men’s football or men’s AFL, where there’s a lot of slurs going around. For me, that was a big thing. I kept seeing people being like, The Matildas are one of the gayest national teams. It raised my eyes that I’m like, ‘Oh, this is my community. I want to support them, not just because they’re women, not just because they’re Australian, but they’re actually part of my community, and I want to support that and see them do well for that reason as well.” 

Atmosphere and fan culture: A new way, borrowing from men’s football and Taylor Swift 

As it grows, women’s football appears to be finding its way to its own unique fan culture. There’s a live debate about atmosphere and active support, with respondents generally appreciating the noise and chanting at the Women’s World Cup (a la men’s football), but accepting that some people might be turned off by too much intensity. Two referenced a social media video by journalist Samantha Lewis that defended Matildas matches against criticisms of being too quiet. The central theme across comments was that all types of fans should feel included or catered to, or that a balance should be struck. 

A community subculture of crafting and gifting between fans has evolved. Similar to Taylor Swift concerts, Tillies fans make bracelets and other DIY merch to trade with other fans. One participant had made her own range of Matildas Barbie dolls. 

Matchdays as events: It’s about more than 90 minutes on the pitch 

Activities and entertainment around the match were seen as important, including opportunities to connect with the players directly. 

Key quotes: 

“The feeling of the music and all that stuff, that real pump up exciting vibe. That’s something that I also noticed when I went to the Angel City game in America. That wasn’t a World Cup, that was just one of their regular games. But there’s music. It feels like a festival when you get there. There’s pop-ups, there’s things, there’s face painting. All the extra things that comes along with the experience of going to the game, which the Matildas I’ve noticed also have as well. So it’s not just the game, but it’s the lead up to the game. Let’s make sure you have a really good time while you’re here. I think all that stuff really helps to create the exciting feeling in the lead up to the game as well.” 

“After the game, you know they’re going to go up and talk to the crowd and be very generous with their time. They seem more generous than perhaps I’ve seen within male sports. They all want to engage with the fans, and particularly the young fans.” 

“Everything all around the outside of the stadium as well as inside. The big thing of the players telling the story of Lydia. There’s so much storytelling even at the matches.” 

Part Two: A-League Women

Theme: Awareness

Conversion: Around half of the participants had become regular ALW fans since WWC23 

Five of the 12 participants had gone on to start attending ALW matches regularly in 2023-24. Two of these referenced a social media post by Craig Foster urging people to continue to support women’s football post-WWC23 by supporting an ALW team, citing the practical advice in his call to action. 

Six of the 12 had partial awareness of the ALW, generally through its connections to the Matildas. One watched the All-Stars play Arsenal. One went to a few Brisbane Roar games “to help out the A-League”, and one went to a few Newcastle Jets games when Emily van Egmond was there. 

The other fan was a long-standing supporter of Australian women’s football so had prior awareness of the ALW. So, none were totally ignorant. 

Key quotes: 

“I just didn’t want it to be over. I googled podcasts and came across The Far Post, and I’ve been an avid listener ever since. And I remember seeing a social media post by Foz. He said, ‘if you want this wave to continue, join a club, go subscribe to the TV channel like Paramount Plus’. And I basically did it all. I’ve joined a club. I’ve been to ten A-League matches. I went and watched the Olympic Qualifiers. I went and watched the A-League All-Stars.” 

“I think [Craig Foster’s] social post was good because it really just gave practical advice. If you want this to keep going and to feel this special, you do have to put your money and your time where your mouth is.” 

Knowledge: It is hard to get basic information on the competition 

Some of the fans admitted being ignorant of basic facts about the ALW. They would not be able to name many ALW teams, and did not know who broadcast the league. Some said that it was easier to find information about the A-League Men (ALM) when looking for the ALW. 

Two said it was a missed opportunity not to advertise the local ALW team at Matildas matches in that city, making the point that they want to be led to the ‘next steps’ to take their support further. 

Key quotes: 

“I don’t think that there’s been as much information about when the women’s games are and when they play. And there’s just no way of easily finding that information. I did try and look. I don’t know if I looked in the right spot, but I could see the men’s draw and when men’s fixtures were, but not the women’s.” 

“I have checked my emails. I haven’t got anything from Football Australia or Adelaide United or anything. I’m assuming that my details are now in a database, having bought Matildas tickets, having subscribed to get the notification of Matildas tickets. And I’ve received nothing about Adelaide United games, men or women that are on, or how I’d go about getting a membership. I would have thought that with the technology that’s available to marketers now, that I would have had a couple of emails then in my mailbox saying, hey, look, this is the next step, or this is how you can support local grassroots football or your local A-League team, or whatever.” 

“[After attending a Matildas match] if you love women playing this game, [tell me] this is where to next, or based on our clever algorithms, your local club is this one. Do you know how to find the membership for next? Just something, a little invitation back for more. Or, we’re partners with Optus, so you can now watch these games in this way. Just give us that little bit of how to get more. Thanks for coming, and here’s your invitation for the next date.” 

Theme: Connection to Matildas

Matildas factor: The Matildas are a key gateway to supporting the ALW 

By far the most common driver for these fans to initially get interested in the ALW was any connection to the Matildas (noting here that this research targeted Matildas fans).  

This connection took various forms. Obviously, there was direct interest in clubs and matches where Matildas were playing. Cortnee Vine’s presence at Sydney FC acted as an onramp for several fans to become members there (along with their families), while another went to the few Newcastle Jets matches when Emily van Egmond played a guest stint (but not other Jets matches). 

At the same time, a shared view was that the presence of Matildas was not a prerequisite for continued support. Sydney FC fans would probably stay so after Vine’s departure to the US, for example. 

Key quotes: 

“The kids said ‘this would be a way to meet a Matilda in a less crowded environment’.” 

“We’re a bit upset that Cortnee was leaving Sydney FC, but I think I’ll just now [also] follow North Carolina Courage … You have a really strong connection to [Sydney FC/ALW]. And there’s not really any going back on this.” 

Incubator: Watching the next generation of Matildas in the flesh is a huge appeal 

The idea of the ALW being an incubator for the next generation of Matildas also had widespread appeal among a majority of the participants. There was a sense of ownership or involvement in the players’ journeys. The idea of “being there from the beginning” when the players achieved great things later was most exciting. 

Key quotes: 

“I went to all of Brisbane Roar’s games here in Melbourne just by coincidence. Every game, [Sharn Freier] was so impressive. Then seeing her get that call up, I felt like ‘that’s my child’ or something.” 

“Obviously, I adore all the Matildas, but there’s something so special watching these 18-, 19-year-olds play that you’re like, ‘they are going to be someone for our national team one day’. Eighteen or 24 months ago, Kyra Cooney-Cross was at Melbourne Victory, and you’re like, ‘look at her now’. It’s almost more exciting to see these girls who are up and coming and you think, ‘this could be our captain one day’. ‘This person could be scoring for us in the next World Cup’ because there’s just so much homegrown talent that are possible future Matildas.” 

“I just love being at the coalface of the young talent coming up now. It is just really special. You see someone like Daniela Galic, you go, ‘when you get your international cap, I’ve been there from the beginning’.”

Theme: Promotion and media

Player stories: As with the Matildas, storytelling is critical to building connection to the ALW

Just as player stories were a hook for the Matildas, the participants said that understanding the personalities and personal journeys of ALW players would be critical to building a lasting emotional connection to the league. 

Some compelling stories mentioned were Michelle Heyman’s resurgence, and international players such as Kayla Morrison and Sarina Bolden (“what draws them to the A-League?”). 

Several mentioned that they did not have a connection to the league because of a lack of storytelling or available information on the players. They urged the use of social media or documentaries to tell those stories. There was sympathy that part-time athletes were not able to provide the same access to their lives as the fully professional Matildas. 

“I work in communications. People make decisions emotionally and back them up rationally. I think more investment could be made into the emotional connection with the A-League players… I think what’s really worked with the Matildas is we really feel like we know who they are, and then we just buckle up and get on the journey with them and see where they go. You’ve got to find the buckle up moment with A-League so people feel emotionally invested to see where the players go, because at the end of the day, the league is the players.” 

“As opposed to Matildas where you know the players, I don’t know who the players are. There’s not that much out there about them. Again, that’s completely fair enough. But it was something that I did think about when I thought, why do I feel so connected to that team? And maybe not necessarily as connected to my local team, which would be Western Sydney, even though I really want to.” 

“It’s the personality of the players. You don’t get to see that like you do with the Matildas. You can’t relate to them on a deeper level. Obviously, if you go and follow their social media, but some of these people still work part-time jobs because they don’t get much money.” 

Broadcast: The quality and consistency of ALW match broadcasts is a weakness 

Every comment about the ALW broadcast was negative. 

The most common feedback was that the position of the camera showed an empty grandstand on the far side, underrepresenting the level of actual support and therefore undercutting the women’s desire to prove their legitimacy to potential detractors. 

Other aspects mentioned were that the coverage did not clearly show the emotions of the players or make it easy to see the ball. 

Key quotes: 

“It would be really nice if the cameras were on the other side of the field showing the spectators rather than showing empty seats, because everyone goes, ‘who wants to go see soccer’?” 

“The TV coverage isn’t very good quality, especially at Ballymore. The stand was full, but the cameras were on the same side. So on the telly, you’ve got this empty rugby union stadium, which doesn’t look very exciting.” 

“The TV coverage I found was variable. I watched the away games for Sydney FC, and it was really hard to watch the game. I just couldn’t see the ball a lot of the time. And you didn’t really have the stadium experience, of course, because you weren’t there. So it did make it feel like a little bit of a waste of time.” 

Social media: Standalone accounts for women’s teams are preferred 

The participants wanted to see ALW teams have separate accounts for their women’s teams, to give the teams sufficient focus and also to protect against toxic comments from men. 

Two recommended Western Sydney’s TikTok as a good example, even though neither were fans of that club. 

The types of content they wanted to see were short pieces which help you get to know the players. 

Key quotes: 

“Another good idea that the A-League Women could have is the Tillies did like a ‘Meet the Tillies in 90 seconds’ thing, and it just showed you who they were in such a short period of time. Even when they were in Melbourne, they could have done that with the All-Star team.” 

“I don’t want to go on posts celebrating a women’s team win and there’s a bunch of men’s fans in the comments being like ‘Who even watches this? Who cares?’. WSW TikTok is social media done right.” 

“One of the worst days I ever had on the internet was when they tried to announce a pride round on social media. The comments were just so hideous that I just was like, how can anyone feel any pride in this week? That for me personally was a really upsetting day. I just was like, I hate this. This is I wish the women had their own page because I guarantee the men won’t be following it.” 

Theme: Attending matches

Venues: Many current stadia are inaccessible or wrong-sized, but Leichhardt works 

Based on the discussions, the ideal ALW venue should be intimate, providing a good atmosphere and close proximity to the players. It should be family-friendly and accessibly located, ideally connected by public transport. Sydney’s Leichhardt Oval was regarded as ideal for fans by several participants, and Newcastle’s No.2 Sportsground was also liked. The grass hills at these venues were plusses, because it was relaxed and the kids could run around. 

Melbourne City’s Casey location (“a backwater”) and Western United’s Tarneit ground were seen as challenging to get to with a family, particularly from other parts of Melbourne. The lack of shade at Casey and others made attending through summer a bad experience. 

The chopping and changing of home grounds throughout the season by clubs such as Brisbane Roar came up as a barrier to regularly attending. 

Larger venues were not mentioned much, but Sydney FC matches at Allianz Stadium felt “slow” and “weird” due to the mismatch for the size of the crowd. 

There was a feeling of a “lack of investment” in the fan experience due to the poor seating and amenities at some venues and the lack of activations and entertainment around the match itself.

Family-friendly: Affordable pricing and early-ish kick-off times work for the kids 

The fans who had bought memberships or attended ALW matches felt the pricing was good value. This was appreciated when attending with families. One had an issue with regards to accessibility where one family member was in a wheelchair. 

Late afternoon/early evening kick-off times were preferred, so that kids could get home not too late (noting that extreme heat did come up as a barrier also). 

Key quotes: 

“That price point is really attractive, and it’s been amazingly family friendly. It’s been like the times that they actually play are really, really good for just a fun day out at the sport.” 

“I think I paid $90 for our membership, and that gave us access for four people for the whole A-League season to all the home games. And with many at AAMI Stadium. So the price point I found very appealing for that. And I’m also buying merch. I’m also buying food, hospitality. And so I do feel like I’m a financial participant as well.” 

Theme: What should the ALW be?

Afterthought: Female fans are sensitive to the current lack of ‘care-factor’ 

When asked specifically, all the participants generally preferred the idea of clubs and a league that were independent from the men’s A-League and clubs. 

The perceived toxic vibe at men’s matches is discussed above. The other major driver underpinning this view is the feeling that the league is currently treated as an “afterthought”, with that word coming up in two of the three sessions. 

Given that they were newcomers to the ALW, the participants had nuanced views on the idea of independence, because they are aware of the two leading women’s leagues, the NWSL and the WSL, through the Matildas playing there. Those leagues have independent and dual-club structures, respectively (although the WSL is now governed separately). So the fans did see the benefits of being attached to the men for a club like Arsenal. Overall, though, they preferred the idea of a bespoke, standalone offering, which could fulfil a greater potential out of the men’s shadow. 

One example cited was the presentation of Melbourne City Women’s Premiership trophy at half-time during a men’s match, with the broadcast coverage not breaking away to focus on it. Other examples were the lack of (timely) available merch, food vendors not being open, and the lower standard of matchday facilities and amenities generally. 

As a suggestion of how to make women’s fans specifically feel valued, one fan said it would be nice to receive a thank you email after attending a Matildas match. 

The participants who were already members of dual-clubs said they would have no hesitation transitioning to a new entity, because they were attached to the players, not the badge. 

Key quotes: 

“Let’s dare to dream and have them separate. And the women’s will be more popular than the men’s.” 

“It feels really awkward to be partnered with the men’s side of the club, if I’m being really honest. The vast majority of the people who turn up to the women’s games that I end up talking to have no interest in – almost disdain of the men’s side. It just feels silly to be playing second fiddle to the men’s side of the club when that’s not the side that’s doing super well or it’s not the side of football in Australia that’s doing well.” 

“When I saw the NWSL for the first time and when I saw the way that college soccer in America is done, I was like, that’s the way it should be done. If I were talking about what feels right, in terms of a cultural identity as a fan, yeah, being the ‘other’ team for the men’s team just doesn’t feel right.” 

“Whether it be by the club or by a league, it just feels like the women’s supporter experience is really quite second rate. I’ve had a great time, but I do feel like the women’s league is a real afterthought.” 

“I’m not necessarily a rusted on Melbourne City supporter, but I love the players. If I could see them in some other configuration, go for it.” 

“I don’t think the male teams and their branding have any positive influence or input on the female side whatsoever. If anything, it’s to their detriment. I think, post-World Cup in Australia, standalone A-League Women’s could be amazing.” 

“In an ideal world, I love the idea of them being independent clubs and having a women’s league like what happens in the NWSL. I get the impression that we’re very much an afterthought. We’re on the same level as the boys’ academy team that are a bunch of teenagers not even playing professional football.” 

“What it comes down to is feeling like this is a league that we are proud of. We are backing this league and we are proud of this league and you should back it, too.” 

Professionalism: The semi-pro nature of the players’ careers made them harder to connect to 

While lacking knowledge of the ALW generally, the participants were well aware that the players were earning sub-professional salaries and often working other jobs. 

This was seen as being to the detriment of the on-field quality of play, particularly compared to NWSL and WSL. It was also seen as a barrier to connecting with the players as elite athletes. 

Conditions for players were also seen as symbolic of whether the league is valued by those running it, in the sense of it being a premium product and also whether it treated women the right way. 

Key quotes: 

“I don’t think just championing inclusion and championing feminism would be enough to sell it. I think we would actually have to see the product and the professionalism take a step up rather than people being on like part-time, no jobs and that sort of thing.” 

“I think the level of play needs to be closer to the level of what we see from overseas leagues.” 

“There’s just so much about it not being a fully properly professional league that impacts the whole experience. You can see the difference. I’m much more engaged in the WSL than I am the A-League, even though I go to games here. Not having the remuneration for the players means that they’re also a lot younger. The quality of the football is not the same, and then everything around it. I feel bad, but I can find A-League games frustrating sometimes.” 

“It’s the personality of the players. Some of these people still work part-time jobs because they don’t get much money. So I think it’s just not being able to relate to them on the level that you do get to relate with the Matildas players.” 

“It’s the higher pace. I think it would be hard to have to work part-time and then go and throw the extra of your life into this game where you’re putting your body on the line and you’re not getting much compensation back for it.” 

Values: The league should actively promote social justice causes 

There were two streams with regard to what values the competition should embody.  

Firstly, there was a widespread preference for the league to support social justice causes, such as by having pride rounds and Indigenous rounds. There was frustration that the men’s teams had apparently compromised the delivery of the pride round. 

Secondly, the league should reflect the Matildas’ core values of unity, purpose, progress, and teamwork. One example of this was the suggestion that fans of all clubs should be fundraising to support Canberra United’s ongoing existence. 

Key quotes: 

“It [should be] a league that isn’t afraid to do things like pride rounds, Indigenous rounds, stuff that really builds community. Any time I’ve been to a women’s AFL game, it’s because there’s a pride round on [or] it’s an Indigenous game. I’m going to go to that, because of that event around a game.” 

“The values that have been put forward in the two Matildas’ documentaries need to be front and centre for whatever league would be formed.” 

“Build off those values that we all were interested in that Matildas embody, the anti-racism, anti-homophobia, all of those things and really build out the inclusion, really focus on that part.”

The post PFA A-League Women Fan Focus Groups appeared first on The PFA.

The meeting will be held by video & teleconference (details will be provided to members prior to the meeting).

Form of Nomination for Election forms are available below and must be received by the Returning Officer, Jim Kourtis, Professional Footballers Australia at 2/55 Walsh Street, West Melbourne Vic 3003 via accounts@pfa.net.au by 5:00pm Wednesday 20 November 2024.

In accordance with Rule 24.6(a) of the PFA Rules, the returning officer now calls for nominations for election to the offices of the three (3) ordinary members of the PFA Executive all of which are for a term of three (3) years.

If you wish to vote at the meeting but are unable to attend, you may appoint a Full Member in writing as your proxy.  You can do this by completing a Form of Appointment of Proxy and returning it to your PFA Club Delegate before the commencement of the meeting. 

The Proxy Form and comprehensive materials for the meeting are also available below.

2024 PFA Annual General Meeting Resources

• 2024 PFA AGM Meeting Materials
• 2023/24 PFA Audited Financial Accounts
• 2024 Form of Appointment of Proxy
• 2024 Form of Nomination for Election
• 2024 PFA Rules

Should you have any queries, please contact Beau Busch (beau@pfa.net.au)

The post Notice of 2024 PFA Annual General Meeting appeared first on The PFA.

Last week, the 2022-23 A-League Women Report was released with a PFA Post flagging its key findings.

The 2022-23 season saw a record influx of transfer revenue for Australian clubs. PFA’s analysis of transfer fees, based on a range of public and private sources, estimates that A-League clubs received about $10m across the mid-season and off-season windows for 14 player sales.

This collective take is nearly double the previous high, $5.4m in 2017-18, and nearly triple the $3.4m received in 2021-22.

The $10m estimate does not include the value of any additional clauses such as a percentage of any future transfer fee, so the value of these transfers for clubs could be higher than the immediate cash component. However, it should also be noted that Football Australia receives 10% of any international transfer fees.

This result is a financial boon for the competition. Only time will tell if the quantum is a one-off spike or reflective of a new normal.

However, from a policy perspective, we do not have the luxury of waiting before drawing loose conclusions to inform actions today.

The first point to acknowledge is that this outcome was achieved under existing policy settings. It has been said that the league must adopt an internal transfer market for it to generate significant net transfer revenue. This evidence undercuts that argument.

Rather, an analysis of the players sold suggested that a range of interconnected factors have driven this outcome:

Younger players: In the Player Profiles section of the upcoming Report, the ALM’s trend towards youth is analysed. More opportunities for younger players mean more opportunities for breakthrough talents to earn overseas moves.

Longer contracts: In the Contracting Practices section of the upcoming Report, the trend towards more stable contracting is highlighted. Players must be under contract to command a transfer fee, so it follows that a greater share of players under contract means that an in-demand player is less likely to leave for free.

International success: The Socceroos’ best-ever Men’s World Cup result, the first Olympic Games qualification for the Olyroos since 2008, and Ange Postecoglou’s rapid ascent at Celtic may have directly and indirectly increased interest in ALM players. The selection of ALM players for Qatar obviously enhanced their individual profiles, but the success of Australian players and coaches on the global stage also reflects well on their countrymen more generally, and draws clubs’ attention to our competition as a source for talent. Hearts and Middlesbrough both had World Cup Socceroos on their books before dipping back into the A-League market which produced those players.

Players sold during 2022-23 season 

These factors arguably drove the record transfer receipts, but what drove these factors?

Aligned CBA framework: The agreement of the five-year 2021-2026 A-Leagues CBA has allowed clubs to plan for the longer-term, facilitating more multiyear deals which protect the value of players by providing certainty for clubs and players. The expansion of the Scholarship Player roster has enabled clubs to provide more opportunities to young players without stressing the salary cap.

Strategic clubs: Clubs are also getting better at executing on this front, including smarter recruitment and succession planning, more faith in youth, and leveraging international networks to find buyers.

Youth quality: Hopefully, the trends towards younger players and higher transfer receipts are indicative of a better class of Australian prospects coming through. If this does prove to be the case, it could be due to a combination of factors such as maturing club academies and revitalised youth national teams. Time will tell.

ALM expansion: Adding Western United and Macarthur over recent seasons had the effect of redistributing the senior talent pool, which forced clubs to provide more game time to emerging players.

Increased Youth National Team Activity: From the recent Marbella Week of Football, where the Young Socceroos defeated France, to the FPF Portugal Sub-18 tournament where they faced England, Portugal and Norway, the nation’s most talented young players are increasingly being tested against the world’s best.

To illustrate these points in combination, consider the example of Jordan Bos. He joined Melbourne City’s academy at age 13 in 2016. Midway through the 2020-21 season, City was able to offer him his first Scholarship deal.

Before the 2021-22 season, City released one of two senior left fullbacks, Ben Garuccio, to Western United, leaving Bos as the sole understudy to Scott Jamieson and extending Bos’ Scholarship contract for three years. During 2022-23, Bos was able to secure a first-team shirt and earn his record-breaking move.

Along the way, Bos represented Australia’s youth national teams, including at the 2022 U23 Asian Cup alongside Patrick Yazbek and Kusini Yengi, who also feature on the list.

A-League club academies have room for improvement, but it is impossible to judge their output within the benefit of time. Bos is among the first generation of players to emerge from this pathway having been in the system from a young age. Credit also goes to his club for managing his onramp into the first team, while making full use of the regulatory levers which were designed to support such a process.

The post 🔎 The PFA’s 2022-23 A-League Men Report reveals record transfer revenue of $10m appeared first on The PFA.

At a meeting of the AAA this week, all Australia’s player associations unanimously:

• Recognised that Australia’s netballers are taking a stand in their fight for a fair deal.

• Called on Netball Australia to negotiate in good faith.

• Called on Netball Australia to provide full financial transparency and to develop a long- term growth model for the National League.

• Supported Australia’s netballers in their campaign to become true partners in the sport via a revenue sharing model.

• Called on all athletes in all sports to support the netballer’s #FightForFair social media campaign.

• Committed to support and provide resources of the players’ association movement in Australia to the ANPA and netballers.

AAA General Secretary, Jacob Holmes, said it was important for the players from all codes to stick together.

“It is important for all of Australia’s players associations to unite around the ANPA in this time of need and the AAA was created for this purpose. We stand ready and willing to assist the netballers and ANPA.”

Holmes said the proposed ANPA deal would recognise the netballers and their role within the sport.

“The netballers are seeking a genuine partnership and a fair deal which they rightly deserve. Their motivation is to sustainably grow the sport, recognising the pivotal role the players have in this.”

ANPA CEO, Kathryn Harby-Williams, thanked the AAA and all member organisations for their support.

“The AAA and our fellow Member Associations are a great source of strength and solidarity for the ANPA and netballers. We thank the AAA and all Members for their support at this time.”

– Statement Ends –

The post Australia’s Player Associations Stand with Netballers appeared first on The PFA.

Several of the Report’s findings have already been detailed in recent PFA Posts: 

• What A-League Women can learn from Women’s Super League shared lessons from the rapid growth of England’s world-leading domestic competition that could inform Australian football’s attempt to seize the post-World Cup moment. 
• Getting over the hump: A-League Women’s path to professionalism outlined the increasing challenges faced by players in juggling part-time work commitments alongside football.

This PFA Post will highlight three of the other key points to emerge from the Report, all of which speak to an overarching theme of growth and potential in women’s football.

There is a sense of excitement and momentum ahead of the new season, which looks set to be the biggest and best yet on the back of a game-changing Women’s World Cup.

But it won’t just happen. The Report empowers decision-makers with evidence-based analysis to ensure that we maximise this once-in-a-generation opportunity.

Player feedback on integration of women’s teams shows room for improvement

Other than Canberra United, every ALW team is part of a broader club which also fields an A-League Men team. Throughout the 2022-23 season, the PFA received anecdotal feedback from players from several clubs raising concerns about how their team was treated within their club.

The PFA included a new battery of questions in its end of season player survey to assess this aspect across the board.

The Report reveals the results of this part of the survey, aggregated across the entire playing cohort. It shows that less than a third (31%) of players agreed that the women’s and men’s teams were well integrated at their club.

A majority of players disagreed that their women’s team has an equal say in club decisions (72%) or that the ALW team is a priority for club leadership (62%). Nearly three in four (72%) agreed there is unequal treatment on the basis of gender at their club, including 34% who strongly agreed.

The silver lining of this exercise was that player comments suggested that simple behaviours, attitudes, and elements of club culture go a long way. Therefore, many of the opportunities to do better do not require a financial component; club leaders can make progress immediately, if the willpower is there.

The responses to the six statements were combined into a ‘Club Integration Index’ for each club. The Report reveals these Index scores for each club on a deidentified basis to show that some clubs are doing better than others, while all have room to improve.

The PFA is sharing these and other survey results with all clubs and the APL to drive change in areas which players have highlighted. The 2022-23 findings provide a benchmark against which progress in 2023-24 will be measured.

World Cup windfall shows the importance of attracting and retaining talent

The Report features a special section on the A-League’s links to the Women’s World Cup.

Seventeen ALW players represented their countries at the tournament, not including those who had featured in the ALW on loan before returning to their parent clubs. A further four players from NSW state league clubs featured in the Philippines squad.

FIFA distributes funding to the clubs that help prepare the players for its big show. This Club Solidarity Fund was US$11.3m in 2023. Half of the Fund will go to the clubs which contract players at the time of the World Cup, and the other half will be split between the clubs which developed the players between the ages of 12 and 22.

In 2019, when the Fund totalled US$8.5m, Australian clubs took in US$269k, around half of which went to ALW clubs (US$137k).

The Report estimates that these figures will be significantly greater for 2023, although predicting specific figures is beyond its scope.

Such numbers represent a notable windfall in the context of the domestic women’s football economy – and it could be set to skyrocket in future. FIFA’s similar disbursement for the Men’s World Cup – the Club Benefits Programme – was worth US$209m in 2022 and rises to US$355m for the 2026 edition.

FIFA has promised to equalise World Cup Prize Money for men and women in the next cycle, and while it might not yet do the same for club disbursements, even closing the gap slightly would be a boon for leagues like ALW.

The Report flags this growing revenue stream as a great incentive for our clubs to develop, attract, and retain top class talent.

Also in the Women’s World Cup section, the Report borrows analysis from FIFPRO to identify that ALW risks falling short in the number of match minutes it provides. Looking at the domestic leagues of World Cup nations, only four of the 27 FIFPRO assessed guaranteed fewer matches to its players last season.

The ALW’s expansion to a full home-and-away season in 2023-24, with 22 rounds plus finals, is a positive step in this regard.

Improved contract stability is a welcome trend

The Report reveals that the percentage of players on multiyear contracts leapt from 2% in 2021-22 to 22% in 2022-23, according to data made available to the PFA.

The competition has historically been defined by single-season deals, but with the emergence from COVID-19 and the enactment of the 2021-2026 A-Leagues Collective Bargaining Agreement, clubs are starting to take a longer-term view.

The share of players in their first year at their current club did not change (60% in 2022-23 cf. 61% in 2021-22), so it doesn’t appear that clubs are necessarily building more stable squads than before. The difference, rather, could be that players who would previously have to wait for a new contract from their club each year are now benefitting from the security and certainty of a multiyear deal.

This development is welcome, but for the league to feature the best players and enable them to fully commit to football, it’s crucial that the contracts also cover all 12 months of the year while also offering a commensurate full-time wage. AFLW will hit both targets under its new CBA.

This week, ALW players continued to advocate the benefits of this shift, for players, clubs, and the league alike.

Brisbane Roar’s Chelsea Blissett said:

“Once the season is done … we don’t have the stability throughout the off-season, so a lot of us have to work. We don’t get paid in the off-season, and our wages aren’t that massive where we get to be completely comfortable in our lives.

“I think it’s just always the unknown of where I’m going to be next? Where am I going to move? Where am I living in six months? How long do I have to work? I feel like with the expansion of the league going further, and with more and more teams, then with 12-month contracts we won’t have to worry.

“I think that will increase the attractiveness of the league as well, and it will grow the league and give players confidence in the league, so they can solely focus on football.”

Sydney FC’s Cortnee Vine said that the shift to full-time professionalism was key to keeping more Matildas in the league:

“We need to make it full-time, we need to pay better and be more professional in this league. It’s getting there, but it still needs so much more work, and that’s why those girls have left, and stayed away because those leagues [overseas] are professional, they pay a lot more than this league, and I just think once we start fixing that they will start to come back.”

The post 🔎 The PFA Post: 2022-23 A-League Women Report highlights opportunities for the new season and beyond appeared first on The PFA.

The report provides a comprehensive review of last season’s competition, including a league assessment, employment framework analysis, and player feedback, while also identifying some key opportunities for improvement to ensure the continued success of the league.

To read the full report click here.

This year’s report also contains a dedicated Women’s World Cup section analysing the A-League Women’s representation at the tournament and how this translates into a financial boost for women’s football in Australia. 

PFA Co-Chief Executive Kate Gill said the report highlights how far the league has grown but also how far it still must go. 

“This season featured the most teams, longest season, and highest investment in players in the league’s history,” Gill said. 

“But while this is great progress, the report also highlights that players are feeling the strain of increasing football demands in a context where their careers are not yet full-time. 

“Full-time professional contracting with commensurate renumeration is the next logical step, as it would not just benefit players but also improve the standard of the league and ensure that women’s football can seize the post-World Cup momentum and go to the next level in Australia.” 

Some of the key findings of the report are:

Highest Investment in Players 

Under the 2021-2026 A-Leagues Collective Bargaining Agreement, players are experiencing higher quality careers in terms of both remuneration and contract stability. 

Total payments to players reached a record high this season. The 11 clubs collectively paid players $5.4m, up from last season’s previous high of $3.98m across ten clubs. This season’s average per club was $491k, up from $398k in 2021-22. 

World Cup to Boost Women’s Football 

FIFA’s Women’s World Cup Club Solidarity Fund compensates clubs that have helped prepare the players to perform at the tournament. 

Following this year’s tournament, at which 17 A-League Women players competed, A-League Women clubs will collectively receive hundreds of thousands of dollars, in a significant boost to the domestic women’s football economy. 

The report highlights the opportunity for ALW clubs to attract and develop the next generation of World Cup players to tap into this growing source of revenue. 

ALW Match Minutes still lag other nations 

Borrowing analysis from FIFPRO, the report shows that the 2022-23 ALW season provided less game time than most domestic leagues of other nations at the Women’s World Cup. Only four of the 27 leagues analysed guaranteed their teams fewer matches (not including finals). 

The extension of the 2023-24 season to a 22-round, full home-and-away schedule is a welcome development considering this assessment.

Players struggling to find balance 

The report’s player survey revealed that 60% of ALW players were working a job outside of playing, which obviously remains a financial necessity when most players were sitting at or 63% just above the minimum salary of $20,608 for a 29-week contract. 

This conflict is not new, but for the past two seasons, for the first time, the survey found that more than half of ALW players were either not at all satisfied or only slightly satisfied with their football-life balance. Unsurprisingly, satisfaction scores declined in perfect correlation with the number of hours worked outside of football. 

Room for improvement in treatment of women’s teams

The PFA’s player survey found that 72% of players agreed that there is unequal treatment based on gender at their club. Less than a third of ALW players (31%) agreed that both the women’s and men’s team at their A-League club were well integrated. 

More encouragingly, two thirds of players (65%) agreed that the women’s team is a valued part of their club. 

To read the full report click here.

The post PFA publishes 2022-23 A-League Women Report appeared first on The PFA.

Through the PFA’s Our Greener Pitch initiative, launched in 2021, the group are exploring waste reduction practices within their clubs, the potential of league-wide sustainable initiatives and using their platform as professional footballers to advocate for industrial-level change to combat climate change. 

The group consists of Emma Iljovski and Sasha Grove (Canberra United), Emma Checker and Beattie Goad (Melbourne Victory), Melina Ayres (Newcastle Jets), Ben Halloran (Adelaide United), Aivi Luik and Alex Chidiac (Matildas), PFA President Jackson Irvine (Socceroos) and former Perth Glory midfielder Chris Harold.    

Meeting on a regular basis the group has also consulted with experts from Australia’s Climate Council and the UK’s Football for Future, a non-profit organisation building an environmentally sustainable culture in football, to understand the impacts football has on the climate and ways in which this can be tackled in Australia. 

“I’m passionate about [sustainability] because climate change is affecting the places that I love and the places I grew up,” Ayres, who studies environmental science, told pfa.net.au. 

The players are eager to make a positive difference during a critical period for environmental preservation – and to reduce the impact on their workplace. The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) recently revealed that global temperatures are set to reach new records in the next five years. That will have consequences for the A-Leagues, a competition played in summer, given the domestic competition and its players have been affected by rising temperatures, poor air quality from bush fires and flooding. 

Globally, the football industry is responsible for more than 30 million tons of carbon dioxide every year, about the same as a small country like Denmark. 

“At the moment we are building a group of players that are aligned in their passion and care for being climate conscious and making decisions that positively impact the planet,” Emma Checker said. 

“Given our platform as athletes, it’s so important that we bring that group together, because in sport there is so much room for change and growth. 

“The aim is to generate better practices and education in clubs and more broadly in the A-Leagues. We know it’s a process, but we have to start, and this is our time to step up.” 

Jackson Irvine, Socceroos midfielder and PFA President, acknowledges the complexities of individuals taking on such a significant task given the sheer scale of industrial emissions, as well as the “hypocrisy” of professional footballers travelling globally to ply their trade. 

“I’m very aware of the hypocrisy of an international footballer sitting here preaching about the environment when I jump on a plane to travel around the world to play in football matches.  

“That’s an inevitable part of our industry, and through Our Greener Pitch, we’re able to offset those emissions.” 

Through the PFA’s partnership with GreenCollar, the Matildas and Socceroos offset the carbon footprint of Australia’s national teams during their FIFA World Cup campaigns in 2022 and 2023.  

The group will also meet with A-Leagues organisers, Australian Professional Leagues, to discuss ways the players and the league can work together to achieve Our Greener Pitch environmental objectives such as carbon reduction, including the possibly of a carbon neutral ‘green’ round, plastic waste reduction in stadiums, and education for fans and stakeholders. 

Any players who would like to contribute to the PFA’s Our Greener Pitch initiative, please contact the PFA at info@pfa.net.au or talk to your PFA Player Development Manager. 

The post Australian players leading charge for sustainable football future appeared first on The PFA.

The PFA is delighted to announce Austraffic has extended its partnership promoting the PFA’s prestigious player-voted awards. 

For the third consecutive year, the traffic and transport data specialists will recognise player performances domestically via the peer-voted Austraffic A-Leagues Player of the Month Award, as well as the international excellence of PFA members through the 2024 Austraffic PFA Footballer of the Year Awards. 

The impact of Austraffic’s involvement in player recognition was evident last season, with players such as Joe Lolley, Socceroos Jamie Maclaren, Mat Leckie, Craig Goodwin and Brandon Borello, Matildas Cortnee Vine and Alex Chidiac, and A-League Women stars Maria Rojas and Michelle Heyman, honoured with the Austraffic monthly award. 

Sam Kerr, Charlotte Grant, Goodwin and Jordan Bos were unveiled as the 2023 Austraffic Footballers of the Year at the PFA’s Players’ Awards night on the eve of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in July. 

PFA Co-Chief Executive, Kathryn Gill, said: “We are delighted to extend our partnership with Austraffic, who have helped to elevate and celebrate the monthly achievements of our players within the A-Leagues and the international excellence of our Matildas and Socceroos.”

Austraffic Queensland Principal Martin Jordan-Williams said: “Across the past two years, we have developed a wonderful partnership with the PFA, and with another exciting A-Leagues season approaching, we are delighted to commit further to their player awards and recognition. Our mission has always been to celebrate excellence, and we see that same spirit in the PFA and the incredible athletes they represent.”

Established in 1983, Austraffic has been at the forefront of vehicle and pedestrian data collection and analysis, operating across all states and territories of Australia and New Zealand. Their commitment to Australian sports extends to partnerships with organizations such as the AFLW side Brisbane Lions.

About the Austraffic A-Leagues Player of the Month Award

Widely acknowledged as the most prestigious monthly award in Australian football, the Austraffic A-Leagues Player of the Month Award is the only peer-voted award in the A-Leagues.

About the 2024 Austraffic PFA Players’ Awards

The PFA Players’ Awards have been presented annually since 2009, when former Socceroo Tim Cahill won the inaugural PFA Men’s Footballer of the Year. The PFA Women’s Footballer of the Year was introduced the following season, which was won by Servet Uzunlar in 2010.

The awards consider both the domestic and international features of the career path pursued by elite Australian professionals. The awards are voted on by the PFA membership and will consider the performances of PFA members during the 2023/24 season.

About Austraffic

Founded in 1983 (as Australasian Traffic Surveys), Austraffic has undertaken thousands of traffic, transport and pedestrian studies in all states and territories of Australia and New Zealand. Austraffic’s systems and expertise delivers quality data that meets the customer’s needs. Their offices are located throughout Australia, and their traffic engineering and information technology specialists assist customers with the design, analysis and presentation of surveys.

The post PFA and Austraffic Renew Partnership Celebrating Player Excellence appeared first on The PFA.

The partnership will see current and former Matildas able to order their own copy of an Honour Roll artwork that features the names of all players to have represented Australia.

Designed by Futbol Cult founder Anthony Siokos, the artwork follows previous work that celebrated the Socceroos Centenary in 2022.

PFA Head of Player Development Rita Mankowska said the Honour Roll was an important way to celebrate the contribution of so many players.

“The Matildas know that when they take the pitch in the opening match of the Women’s World Cup that they are the beneficiaries of a remarkable legacy of the players that came before them.

“We are hugely grateful to Anthony for his willingness to collaborate and his ongoing efforts to celebrate our past and elevate the future of the game.”

Siokos said: “Australian women’s football is experiencing a golden generation with many of our Matildas playing for the world’s biggest clubs. This has been made possible due to their aspiration and dedication to the game, but also because of the pathway built by those Australian women who came before them.”

“This commemorative artwork is more than a list of names and cap numbers. It is the representation of decades of hard work and sacrifice. There are 224 women listed in an official capacity and an acknowledgement of others who wore the green and gold with pride, including the pioneering 1975 Australian XI.”

“It is my great privilege to team up with the PFA to put something like this together. Every player can hang it on their wall, knowing they are forever enshrined in Australian football history.”

All past and present Matildas and members of the 1975 Australian XI can order up to three copies of the of Honour Roll which will then be posted out.

Eligible members can order their copy by clicking here.

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