Newcastle coach Ash Wilson has called for greater investment in the A-League Women after Jets goalkeeper Georgia Boric opted to step away from the game due to work commitments.
Boric played three games for the Jets this season but left the club this week due to a change of role at the private school where she acts as a rowing coordinator.
Wilson said the door remained open for Boric to return to the club should circumstances change.
But a raft of COVID-enforced cancellations of regular season games made juggling both roles too difficult.
Wilson said more needed to be done to provide better work-football balance for the game’s female players who are all semi professional.
“There’s obviously solutions with more investment and funding through TV rights and sponsorships,” Wilson said.
“Clubs probably need to look at how the league is coming together to support them.
“If I had the answer or the pull I’d definitely be trying to work harder to support the girls as well.
“Women’s football is founded on passion which is why it’s disappointing when someone like Georgia has to give up something she’s passionate about.
“It really brings to light some of the challenges for the girls.
“There’s been definite improvements but there’s still a long way to go to bridge that gap and make it more sustainable for these players.”
The Jets are currently in sixth spot and need Perth and Adelaide to slip up if they are to have any chance of making the top four.
Wilson’s side have the slimmest of chances of keeping their finals hopes alive as they prepare to play ninth-placed Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday and the Jets boss wants her side to finish the season strongly.
“We’ve got more points than in the last two seasons but the drive and the goal is to finish as high as we can now,” she said.
“The goal initially was finals and it’s looking less likely. We still need to maintain that effort and energy and see the bigger picture.
“We’re moving forward as a club and we are pushing to compete with the teams in the finals formats.
“We need to put in performances that warrant points because you want to finish as strongly as you can.
“Finishing fifth or sixth is a lot better – if we can’t finish in the top four – compared to last year (eighth from nine).”
