FFA seriously considering Women's National League

[bakery5]

kevrenor said:

skilbeck said:

It all comes down to marketing, a womens league would be successful with the right marketing. But the marketing of a womens league would come down to sex appeal probably more than football i reckon.

Surely we don't have to go back to this:

nicerugbyfeminin.canalblog.com/images/t-09_September_TheMatildas_footbaleuse_austrliennes.jpg
Nudity alert!!

Ladies come play with my balls ;D

[Fish]

Kev I think that should be mandatory lol.

Seriously I agree with Mick, the Ladies are just as entitled if not more due to the lack of corporate recognition they recieve to have a League established for them.Interesting article in the Tele today showing the squads occupation,not one is a profesional player(aside from Salisbury who also does motivational speaking) which considering they are involved in a World Cup is wrong.

[curious]

Europe, Asia & the US have about 70 women's national leagues between them, most in Europe & many full time pro leagues.
For example ....Germany has 4 national division leagues, England 2 plus FA cup, Norway 2, France 3, Switzerland 2 ect ect. ...... UEFA Women's Championship...the list goes on till you get to Aust.

[skilbeck]

curious said:

thats precisely what i mean. they will get more exposure, excuse my pun, from their ralph and FHM shoots then from their footballing ability

Be carefull a female forum member doesn't whack you.

To be honest I think they will & should avoid it. Threats them like joke athletes & they don't need promoting as such. As kevrenor will tell you, they are no joke athletes.

i mean no disrespect to women and im not sexist. i agree they arent joke athletes and that they need to be taken seriously. some of them have footballing skills that i could only dream of ever having that do need to be displayed. i just believe they need to be careful about the marketing of such a league because it will be faced with these issues. it would be a hard task to make successful and i cant think of womens professional sport other than tennis in australia but i guess football can be the sport to revolutionise it. i would like it to be professional with ideally the women getting similar pay to a league players but it doesnt seem like it will get the investment that the a league gets in order to fund it which would be a shame.

[curious]

Found some stats on what the matildas are up against with the US team. Nice dollars.
www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/2007-09-10-us-northkorea_N.htm?csp=34

U.S. payout:

. If the Americans win this World Cup, the 14 highest-earning players will make about $250,000 each, with the possibility of earning an additional $57,000 if they play in a post-Cup 10-game exhibition tournament.

The players are paid under a complex system of a base salary and incentives. According to U.S. Soccer spokesman Jim Moorhouse, here's how it breaks down:

•The annual budget for the team this year is approximately $10 million. The most recent contract with the team calls for a full-time salary for at least 20 players (a minimum of $1.7 million a year in team salary).

•That total breaks down as follows: at least 14 players at $70,000 a year; at least six more players at $50,000 a year; up to four more players at $30,000. Additionally, each player earns $1,000 per win per player for all non-World Cup and non-Olympic tournament games.

•In the Women's World Cup and the Olympics, each player earns $10,000 for being on the final qualifying roster, and another $10,000 for being named to the final Women's World Cup or Olympic roster. Each player earns $50,000 for a first-place tournament finish, $20,000 for second place and $10,000 for third place.

•There is an additional bonus of $1.2 million paid to the Women's National Team player association if they win first place in a tournament for a 10-game victory tour planned by U.S. Soccer. The players decide what share each player gets from the $1.2 million payout, but divided by 21 players on the roster, it equals about $57,142 per player.

That means any player who plays in qualifying and wins the Women's World Cup will make approximately $127,000 (not including their annual salary and, potentially, an additional $13,000 for being on the roster for every non-WWC win in 2007).

"We very much want people to know just how much we do invest in the women's side, and hopefully it will encourage other countries to do the same," Moorhouse says. "We obviously put in quite a bit more financially to our women's programming than any other federation in the world. Quite a bit more."

There is a chance more money will be available because FIFA announced Sept. 8 it will distribute $6.4 million in prize money for the World Cup, with $1 million going to the winning country's federation, $800,000 to the runner-up and $650,000 to the third-place team, but FIFA rules require only a minimum of 10% of that money be used exclusively on women's soccer.
________________________________________________________
In addition to all that - more to come
www.soccertimes.com/usteams/2006/women/jan04.htm
Under the agreement, players can take maternity leave at 50 percent of salary. Additionally, each player will receive a housing allowance and a stipend. In the contract, the USSF agreed to keep the women's team in residency annually, except for the year following each Olympics because fewer games are played then.

[dibo (pron. "DIB-OH")]

if we want football to be the biggest game in town, it will have to include a helluva lot of women in the crowds and forking over cash for merch and tickets and whatever.

if part of the deal is getting to see women play, then women and girls will be much keener to come along. it will encourage women to play the game as well, and somewhere down the track we're going to do things like host the women's asian and world cups and we want to win them just as much as we want to win the men's ones.

besides - the skill level is not bad. the goal from lisa de vanna the other night was at least the equal of almost anything scored in the a-league this year.

[Bearinator]

I would rather watch a youth mariners team than a womens mariners team. Yes, the women do deserve a national comp, but my personal preference is for youth. A youth team is needed 1st for up and coming players, and injured players to make a steady comeback.

[curious]

bearinator said:

I would rather watch a youth mariners team than a womens mariners team. Yes, the women do deserve a national comp, but my personal preference is for youth. A youth team is needed 1st for up and coming players, and injured players to make a steady comeback.

Looks like you won't have to choose. Youth will be first.

ATM we don't know what format a women's league would take, if it would be independent of the aleague or even if it is to be professional. If the past is anything to go by, the FFA will give very little, (the last WNSL was funded by state Feds) it will be amateur & the players will have to get private sponsorship, part time work with an understanding employer or simply forced not to play because they need to make a living.

Compare that to my post above regarding the USA team.

[brett]

Youth league should be first.

It's not about who is more deserving, but a simple business decision. Australia desperately needs to improve the quality of players it is producing, or we won't be having World Cup or Asian Cup or Champions League success or selling players to overseas clubs and our game can't survive without those things.

On a stronger financial basis we can then support a women's league because, let's face it, it's not going to be self-sustaining.

[marinermick]

wyomingtiger said:

Youth league should be first.

It's not about who is more deserving, but a simple business decision. Australia desperately needs to improve the quality of players it is producing, or we won't be having World Cup or Asian Cup or Champions League success or selling players to overseas clubs and our game can't survive without those things.

On a stronger financial basis we can then support a women's league because, let's face it, it's not going to be self-sustaining.

I disagree on two points:

1. It shouldn't be about choice because the two are not intrinsically linked. Why the hell are we pitting the two against each and having to make a choice.
2. A woman's national league would be able to negotiate seperate sponsors (heaps of woman's brands would jump on board) and a separate fox deal in which a national youth league could not. It could easily become the biggest national women's comp in Australia. If we are not talking about professionalism then this comp could easily become self-sustaining. On the other hand, the national youth has to rely on taking some of the funding of the new $16 million government grant.

On a simple business basis the women's comp would win every time if the competition model and club structure is correct.

No one will support a state based competition ebcause it is not parachiol enough.

If they are aligned to current A-League clubs (inc NZ) they can piggy back off the marketing and administration of the clubs.

[curious]

Youth league will be first. I don't know why anyone feels threatened.

Any women's league, if it ever gets off the ground will likely only be a token league. Why? Beacuse arguably, most men have a similar attitude towards women's football to that displayed in forums & the FFA know it.

[marinermick]

curious said:

Youth league will be first. I don't know why amyone feel threatened.

Any women's league, if it ever gets off the ground will likely only be a token league. Why? Beacuse arguably, most men have a similar attitude towards women's football to that displayed in forums & the FFA know it.

they don't really need the men

49% of the australian population are women and women's football is massive in australia participation wise

i think there is currently a gaping hole in the australian market for a profile women's national competition as the netball comp has become stale

besides, wherever the women go, the men are sure to follow

[T]

I think it would be great for a womens league to start. For most women players there are very few professional avenues to pursue or things to aim for. Unless you look at playing overseas... which can be difficult, there are really only the Matildas to aim for.

[curious]

marinermick said:

curious said:

Youth league will be first. I don't know why amyone feel threatened.

Any women's league, if it ever gets off the ground will likely only be a token league. Why? Beacuse arguably, most men have a similar attitude towards women's football to that displayed in forums & the FFA know it.

they don't really need the men

49% of the australian population are women and women's football is massive in australia participation wise

i think there is currently a gaping hole in the australian market for a profile women's national competition as the netball comp has become stale

besides, wherever the women go, the men are sure to follow

They don't need men in general, but my point being, the men they do need, run the FFA & make the decisions.

I'd love to see it get off the ground, however I do know there will be the hurdle of a lot of negative reactions from men.

Where's the female viewpoint on the forum? Speak up ladies

[T]

curious said:

marinermick said:

Where's the female viewpoint on the forum? Speak up ladies

I thought I already had!!

[Perm]

are there brazillians in this comp?

[T]

afrosean said:

are there brazillians in this comp?

Well that question took longer than I thought it would to get asked

[curious]

thres said:

curious said:

marinermick said:

Where's the female viewpoint on the forum? Speak up ladies

I thought I already had!!

My apology madam. I'll close the door behind me.

[djebella]

I'm all for a Women's A-league, don;t know how the financing would work but I'm sure they could get their own sponsors and TV coverage.

My thoughts for youth development, and it could be a massive task, is to align the seasons of the top state leagues with the A-league. Then have the clubs align with one of the state teams, as the Mariners have with the Lightning, then fill that team with your youth players and squad members needing match fitness. Currently the AFL uses similar systems. I think that is more financially sustainable in the long term.

[Chimmi Churri]

I think it would be a great thing to have. Like T said females who play really do need something to aim for...but can I ask what the "negative reactions from men" would be? I can see some people simply preferring to watch the A-league but I really cant see any objection to a females league.

I just hope they stay far away from Ralph shoots.