Crowds on increase in women’s game
THE “Kerr effect” has hit the W-League and women’s football numbers are on the increase, but there’s still a long way to go for football equality.
Eight rounds in to the 10th W-League season and crowds and TV audiences are up, which FFA head of women’s football Emma Highwood attributes to the success of the Matildas and increased profile of its stars, like Kerr.
“I think the Kerr effect has rolled into the W-League,” Highwood said.
“Sammy (pictured) was scoring hat-tricks previously, this year she scored the hat-trick (this week against Newcastle Jets) and it’s become front page news.
“It gets the interest and I think for that game we had just over 3000 people.”
The average attendance to date is just under 2000, which is up 27 per cent from where it was last season, while viewership on Fox Sports is up seven per cent, meaning the W-League is enjoying its best season to date. FFA are pleased with the improvements but acknowledge things are only just getting started for the W-League, despite it being established a decade ago.
The Matildas’ success internationally this year has helped bring women’s football into the headlines and a recent pay increase for W-League players has improved conditions domestically. But it’s only a shift in thinking in the past few years that has seen the W-League go from being a pathway to being treated as a competition where the world’s best play.
“Early years it was really about having a competition and making sure there was a pathway, there wasn’t really a commercial focus on the W-League and that objective has transitioned in the last couple of years,” Highwood said. “We need to see those crowds increase, that’s a given, but also become more consistent as well.”