A-League Women
A-League Women, known before the 2021–22 season as the W-League, is the main women's semi-professional soccer league in Australia. Started in 2008, it currently has 10 teams, nine in Australia and the other in New Zealand. Eight of the Australian teams and the New Zealand team are partners with clubs in A-League Men. The other team is based in Canberra.[1] Because it is sponsored by Liberty Lending Group, an Australian financial services company, the League is called Liberty A-League Women.
A-League Women started on 25 October 2008 as the W-League.[2]
One game per week is broadcast live nationwide on ABC1.[3]
As of the 2021–22 season, teams in A-League Women have a salary cap of A$450,000 for the entire squad. By comparison, the salary cap for clubs in the men's competition, A-League Men, is A$2.1 million, with each team in that league allowed to sign two "marquee players" whose salaries do not count against the cap.
The league began with eight teams.[4] The Central Coast Mariners had to withdraw from the 2010–11 season. This was because they did not have enough money. Western Sydney Wanderers FC joined the league for 2012–13, followed by Melbourne City FC in 2015–16 and the league's first New Zealand side, Wellington Phoenix FC, in 2021–22. Central Coast Mariners FC will return to A-League Women in 2022–23, and Western United FC will add an A-League Women side in 2022–23.
Clubs
| Current clubs | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity | Founded | Joined | Head coach | Captain | Highest finish |
Most recent finish |
| Adelaide United | Adelaide, South Australia |
ServiceFM Stadium Coopers Stadium |
7,000 17,000 |
2008 | 2008 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Adrian Stenta |
Isabel Hodgson |
3rd | 8th |
| Brisbane Roar | Brisbane, Queensland |
Ballymore Stadium | 8,000 | 2008 | 2008 | Garrath McPherson |
Ayesha Norrie |
1st | 9th |
| Canberra United | Canberra, ACT | McKellar Park | 3,500 | 2008 | 2008 | Njegosh Popovich |
Michelle Heyman |
1st | 5th |
| Central Coast Mariners | Gosford, New South Wales | Central Coast Stadium | 20,059 | 2008 | 2008 2023 (re-entry) |
 Emily Husband |
Taren King |
2nd | 2nd |
| Melbourne City | Melbourne, Victoria | Kingston Heath Soccer Complex AAMI Park |
3,300 30,050 |
2015 | 2015 | Dario Vidošić (caretaker) |
 Rebekah Stott |
1st | 3rd |
| Melbourne Victory | Melbourne, Victoria | The Home of the Matildas AAMI Park |
3,000 30,050 |
2008 | 2008 |  Jeff Hopkins |
 Kayla Morrison |
1st | 4th |
| Newcastle Jets | Newcastle, New South Wales |
Wanderers Oval Adamstown Oval McDonald Jones Stadium |
2,000 2,000 33,000 |
2008 | 2008 | Gary van Egmond |
Cassidy Davis |
2nd | 10th |
| Perth Glory | Perth, Western Australia |
Macedonia Park HBF Park |
7,000 20,500 |
2008 | 2008 | Alexander Epakis |
Natasha Rigby |
1st | 6th |
| Sydney FC | Sydney, New South Wales |
Netstrata Jubilee Stadium Leichhardt Oval Seymour Shaw Park Cromer Park |
20,500 20,000 5,000 5,000 |
2008 | 2008 | Ante Juric |
Natalie Tobin |
1st | 1st |
| Wellington Phoenix | Wellington, New Zealand |
Sky Stadium Jerry Collins Stadium |
34,500 1,900 |
2021 | 2021 | Paul Temple |
Annalie Longo |
10th | 11th |
| Western Sydney Wanderers | Sydney, New South Wales |
CommBank Stadium Blacktown Football Park Marconi Stadium |
30,000 500 9,000 |
2012 | 2012 | Robbie Hooker |
Amy Harrison |
3rd | 7th |
| Western United | Wyndham, Victoria | GMHBA Stadium | 36,000 | 2021 | 2022 | Mark Torcaso |
 Jaclyn Sawicki Chloe Logarzo |
2nd | 2nd |
| Future clubs | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity | Founded | Joining |
| Auckland (name TBD) | Auckland, New Zealand | TBD | TBD | TBD | 2024–25[5] |
Performance record
Performance and ranking of clubs based on their best regular season result in the W-League and A-League Women. The 2022–23 season is Western United's first season.
| Rank | Club | Best result | 08–09 | 09 | 10–11 | 11–12 | 12–13 | 13–14 | 14 | 15–16 | 16–17 | 17–18 | 18–19 | 19–20 | 20–21 | 21–22 | 22–23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sydney FC | 1st (5 times) | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Brisbane Roar | 1st (3 times) | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 9 |
| 3 | Canberra United | 1st (3 times) | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 5 |
| 4 | Melbourne City | 1st (2 times) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 3 |
| 5 | Melbourne Victory | 1st | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| 6 | Perth Glory | 1st | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 6 |
| 7 | Newcastle Jets | 2nd | 2 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 10 |
| 8 | Central Coast Mariners | 2nd | 6 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 9 | Western United | 2nd | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 |
| 10 | Adelaide United | 3rd | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 8 |
| 11 | Western Sydney Wanderers | 3rd | — | — | — | — | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 7 |
| 12 | Wellington Phoenix | 10th | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | 11 |
|
References
- "Women in a league of their own". Football Federation Australia. 28 July 2008. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
- "Girls shop to the top". FourFourTwo (Australia). 28 July 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-09-03. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
- "Brisbane Roar v Canberra United – Saturday, 3 October at 3pm on ABC1"
- "W-League to debut in October". Fox Sports. 28 July 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
- "Premier League owner confirmed as preferred bidder for A-Leagues expansion licence in Auckland". A-Leagues. 2023-10-10. Retrieved 2023-10-10.