Matildas and Liberty A-League legend Melissa Barbieri made national headlines with a Tweet about the funding of football. Ahead of a World Cup semi final, she delves into what triggered that comment, and why it is no longer right for football not to be funded properly.
I received some hate after my Tweet calling on our sport to receive more funding.
Because I mentioned A-League Women, the question was posed: how worthy of funding are we because supposedly no-one turns up to watch our games?
Another mentioned the fact that there were so many other issues in the country that required funding. On the second point, sport is a prescription for a lot of social and mental health issues. The positive effects at all levels are enormous – get kids into sport to keep them healthy and out of trouble and build confidence and resilience. It gives kids a safe space and an outlet to be looked after, especially if there are issues at home.
This is why governments justifiably invest billions into sport.
On the A-League Women, the crowds have increased year on year and we had a record 9519 attend last season’s grand final in Sydney.
My Tweet to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last week has triggered discussion.
For starters, my husband told me off for swearing! But, it came from the heart.
It was the culmination of decades of frustration – paying from your own pocket, needing to quit because I couldn’t bring my child on tour, selling Matildas memorabilia and washing my own underwear at hotels to be able to afford to play for my country will do that to you.
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I know this Federal Government has been one of the most supportive in terms of backing football, but to the detriment of our country, football is way short compared to what other codes receive. This FIFA World Cup has shown the power of football – no other moment has unified the country in such a way, aside from Cathy Freeman in 2000.
To be clear, this is not just about investment in A-League Women’s, which clearly needs government and commercial funding.
It’s about the whole of football, from grassroots, to the A-League Women’s to the national teams to infrastructure.
A-League Women
Many areas of football require urgent funding, but let’s start with the A-League Women’s, which was the W-League between 2008-2021 before a rebrand that was underpinned by the desire to have the women’s game on equal footing to the men.
Any serious football nation in the world – men’s or women’s – is supported by a strong domestic competition. In the women’s game, the Matildas’ opponents England and France are two of the best examples. The huge investment over the last four years was behind England’s Euro 2022 win in front of 76,000 at Wembley.
It’s positively impacted the Matildas because the league has attracted the world’s best players – hence Sam Kerr, Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Mary Fowler, Mackenzie Arnold and Alanna Kennedy and many others have moved there.
Our decisive moment came in 2008, when the W-League was born.
Between 2004-2008, there was nowhere for emerging female talent to showcase their potential to national selectors, so it tended to be the same players selected for the Matildas.
Sam Kerr, Tameka Yallop (nee Butt), Clare Polkinghorne, Kyah Simon, Emily van Egmond and Lydia Williams emerged as exciting rookie players, and within three years Steph Catley, Katrina Gorry, Aivi Luik, Caitlin Foord, Alanna Kennedy, Mackenzie Arnold and Hayley Raso debuted.
That is 13 of this current 23-player Matildas squad.
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The fact that there was a directive from previous Matildas coaches for players to play abroad does not sit well with me. And it could be argued that it’s been justified.
I just don’t think one can make a blanket rule. Females are built differently, they need support, unity and family. And a lot of the Matildas are home bodies and prefer to stay and play in the A-League Women’s. And we should respect that.
That’s why I love the Socceroos at the moment. If boys are choosing to stay in Australia, they’re not being overlooked.
Let’s analyse the contribution of A-League Women’s players at this World Cup. Without this competition – last Saturday does not happen.
Cortnee Vine, has never played abroad and did what she did last Saturday after a season with Sydney FC.
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Clare Hunt was again immense in defence, off the back of a season with Western Sydney. Hunt needed time to address injuries and I doubt many European clubs would’ve afforded her the luxury.
Midfield general Katrina Gorry spent most of the season with Brisbane Roar and Julie Dolan medal winner Alex Chidiac has made an impact when coming on.
Kyra Cooney-Cross is another great case study. I know clubs were keen on her – they were contacting me years ago. She said she was happy playing in the A-League Women’s, and getting her timing right, in terms of when to go abroad, is the reason she is having such an impactful World Cup.
So we need to invest to ensure that the A-League Women’s continues to be the Matildas breeding ground and stepping stone for those with European ambitions.
For that to continue, considering the pace of investment with some of Europe’s top clubs and leagues, we need to upscale investment here, and with a relatively modest investment, the A-League Women’s can remain among the top echelon of leagues in world football.
For those who haven’t watched an A-League Women’s match, they will be surprised by the quality.
It’s universally agreed that the standard of this World Cup has been exceptionally high.
England’s Chloe Kelly smashed a 11.79km/h penalty against Nigeria, which was the fastest shot of the World Cup and beat the most powerful strike of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign, by West Ham’s Saïd Benrahma (107.2km/h).
I haven’t seen a timer on Mary Fowler’s penalty shoot out strike against France, but she struck it with her laces with some venom.
Elements of what has been produced in this tournament is on display every week in the A-League Women’s.
Surely we’ve shown that our game deserves the same respect as the other codes.
Football is more complex than other sports because we have more stakeholders, and at the moment they are fighting over scraps.
The Federal Government funding model should be reviewed to provide the whole of football with adequate funding, so everyone can share in the pie to maintain a world-class offering.
Traditionally, gold medals have been a funding barometer. But other sports have less participants and football is the most popular sport in the world; compared to other football codes, we get the least funding yet have the highest participation rates.
As for the Matildas public holiday, it’s a lovely gesture, but it’s not going to help what we need as footballers and as a code.
If it’s a choice between a public holiday and increased funding for football and particularly women’s football – I’d take the latter option every day.
On the field…
As for the Matildas, I want to make mention of their incredible performance and resilience against France.
The girls stood up to the challenge, it was never going to be easy and it was great to see the footballing capabilities of both teams showcased.
I was comfortable going to penalties, because Mackenzie Arnold is very capable in shoot outs and saves a lot of pens.
She has this aura. She’s had a laid-back attitude her whole career, never been an intense character and it bodes well in those situations.
Going into England, it’s hard to change the lineup now. You saw the energy Sam brings off the bench and Vine and others can provide an impact.
Having Sam off the bench is something no other team has, but she’s not far from being able to play 90 or 120 minutes, so Gustavsson has a decision to make.
I feel we’ve grown into this team – we’re respectful of our opponents but don’t fear them anymore.
The English do fear us – they know the quality we have. That’s what got us over the line against Great Britain in the Olympics. I remember Sam got the ball in the box and they backed off her, blocking the goal but they gave her too much space and she punished them. That pressure can make teams falter.
We’re at full force now, England are not.
The World Cup final is within sight.
