A-League Women 2023/2024

[102megan]

It’s great seeing the women’s sides coming out with non-white shorts this season. 
 

Wanderers have (via their game day graphic) have shown the red shorts our women will wear, as an alternative to the black shorts. 
 

They look good! 

[alexd]

**** those sokka folks....

[102megan]

Only THREE weeks into the competition, and there's already been THREE, season-ending ACL injuries.  

 

1. Nat Tobin (Sydney FC - Round One: SYDvWSW)
2. Grace Kuilamu (Brisbane Roar - Training Session)
3. Grace Wisnewski (Wellington Phoenix - Round Three: WELvBRI)

[pseudonym]

is it poor surfaces?

lack of investment in physio/training equipment?

[102megan]

Another fact - Is it football boots not designed for women's feet? 

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2018/jun/20/boot-fit-female-footballers-marketing-mens

Quote

"There are four main differences between men and women’s feet:

1. a narrower heel cup (where the shoe grips the heel),
2. a wider forefoot leading to women buying smaller shoes to fit the heel and then getting squashed in at the toe,
3. higher arches and –
4. further up the skeleton – wider hips leading women to pressure-load their feet differently.

For a generation of players to be wearing boots that aren’t designed to take into account these differences is a nonsense. Particularly at a time when we are trying to grow women’s sport." 

 

[Davo]

 

[pseudonym]

thanks all 

[Paul01]

Emily Geilnik on Offsiders this morning said that the base sslary of A-League Womens is currently $25,000  and that any of the players without a Matilda's contract has to work multiple jobs.

[102megan]

 

This is so damn embarrassing. 

[Carns]

Why can't they play it at WSW HQ? Wasn't that kind of the point of building some of the facilities (i.e. to have the capability to do it)?

[MathyouWSW]

Surely, they can play it at Wanderers Football Park at Rooty Hill or Marconi can be kind enough to allow the Wanderers to use their stadium just for that fixture?

[mack]

NSW African Cup that WSW have organised seems to be on the final weekend. That might be it.

But surely out of the 50 million grounds they could just postpone whatever matches are on the show pitch for the 3 or so hours it requires?

[102megan]

OPTION ONE 
Here's just a start of potential fields we can play at, from my brainstorming. This is even before I consider synthetic pitches...

Rooty Hill Turf Farm, Marconi Stadium, CommBank Stadium, Penrith Stadium, Campbelltown Stadium, Leichhardt Oval, Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre, Belmore Park, Stadium Australia, Sydney Football Stadium, Valentine Sports Park. 

Like, are none of these available??? 

OPTION TWO
Just switch the Home and Away fixtures - play at McKellar Park this time around, and then WSW can host the other match later in the season. 

OPTION THREE
Just do a double header on the Saturday at Central Coast Stadium, with Central Coast Mariners and Wellington Phoenix fixture.

[MathyouWSW]

If they do Option one, there's so many options they could do

- Marconi Stadium is probably ideal
- Landen Stadium (Blacktown City FC's ground),
- Belmore Park (it's a sh*t ground but it's only for one round)
- Blacktown Football Park (Next door to Wanderers Football Park)

Option two (switch the home and away fixtures) is what the Wanderers NPL squad had to do a few times when they were in League One in 2022. They did it for Mounties Wanderers, Bonnyrigg White Eagles (but Bonnyrigg ended up playing their "home game" at Wanderers Football Park anyway cause the drainage at Bonnyrigg is awful and their pitch ALWAYS get waterlogged) and I think SD Raiders. Surely, it can be done in the Liberty A-League as well?

There's an option four which is they'll postpone this round until they can play it at a later date. 

[Carns]

Brisbane Roar have sacked their coach.

[102megan]

The problem with some of the grounds you've noted, is that they're synthetic grounds.  They decided midway through last season, that ALW matches can't be on synthetic grounds (noting that on 26 November 2022 Sydney FC played at Cromer Park, but later that same season, Sydney FC were advised they were not permitted to play on synthetic pitches when they were looking for a ground to play on too) 

Option Five is that WSW don't confirm the postponement - they just let the date come and go! 

[MartinTyler]

I'd also suggest that some of those non-synthetic pitches at the smaller venues are currently being repaired in time for the new winter season. I'd have also suggested Poppondetta Park but that might also be in a state of repair.

[102megan]

In news that no one saw coming , WSW match against Canberra (formally at Bathurst) is now confirmed as postponed.

I personally love the three days notice. 

 

If you look up "incompetence" in the dictionary, you'll find the WSW logo. 

[StringerBellend]

3 hours ago, 102megan said:

In news that no one saw coming , WSW match against Canberra (formally at Bathurst) is now confirmed as postponed.

I personally love the three days notice. 

 

If you look up "incompetence" in the dictionary, you'll find the WSW logo. 

We clearly need more pitches 

[102megan]

33 minutes ago, StringerBellend said:

We clearly need more pitches 

Rooty Hill Turf Farm. 

[SBW]

4 hours ago, 102megan said:

In news that no one saw coming , WSW match against Canberra (formally at Bathurst) is now confirmed as postponed.

I personally love the three days notice. 

 

If you look up "incompetence" in the dictionary, you'll find the WSW logo. 

This club has some very poor organisational skills

[BoyFromTheWest]

Is it club or competition (APL) that is responsible for this?

[pseudonym]

9 minutes ago, BoyFromTheWest said:

Is it club or competition (APL) that is responsible for this?

It's the club's problem

fans have to "field" a complaint with the APL

but they're not making much "ground" with the powers that be

[Carns]

Considering the clubs run the APL and the head of WSW is the head of APL something tells me it won't have much impact even if complaints were lodged.

[Generator]

It’s the club, and it’s a club that just doesn’t care about the A-League W team. No conspiracy; they just don’t care. 

[MartinTyler]

This may be going over old ground but why was the previous coach dismissed?

[StringerBellend]

14 hours ago, pseudonym said:

It's the club's problem

fans have to "field" a complaint with the APL

but they're not making much "ground" with the powers that be

I'd "turf" them out

[StringerBellend]

35 minutes ago, MartinTyler said:

This may be going over old ground but why was the previous coach dismissed?

Was that deliberate? It's very good

Edited November 15, 2023 by StringerBellend

[102megan]

Please do keep in mind that this is not a Wanderers-specific issue.

We're not the only Sydney-based A-League Women's club that this apparent lack of ground availability has affected in recent seasons!

 

The fact that the (arguably) least-professional professional women's football club in the city / state / country / league, has experienced the same issue, just a season after the (arguably) most-professional professional women's football club in the city / state / country / league experienced the same issue..!

Apparently in both scenarios (Sydney v Perth last season, and Wanderers v Canberra this season), the away club offered to host the match - but the Sydney clubs declined said offer... 

[StringerBellend]

1 hour ago, 102megan said:

Please do keep in mind that this is not a Wanderers-specific issue.

We're not the only Sydney-based A-League Women's club that this apparent lack of ground availability has affected in recent seasons!

 

The fact that the (arguably) least-professional professional women's football club in the city / state / country / league, has experienced the same issue, just a season after the (arguably) most-professional professional women's football club in the city / state / country / league experienced the same issue..!

Apparently in both scenarios (Sydney v Perth last season, and Wanderers v Canberra this season), the away club offered to host the match - but the Sydney clubs declined said offer... 

The APL needs to pitch in