The first ever Women’s Football Coaching Summit was held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on July 25, featuring a variety of speakers who covered a range of topics regarding the Matildas and the growth of the game in Australia.
Made possible by the Global Institute of Sport in conjuction with Football Coaches Australia, the full-day event covered some of the pressing issues in the game.
As the women’s game has only become professional in recent times, many key points revolved around if the country is doing enough to promote women’s football and how we can build on the momentum hosting a world cup has provided.
Socceroos legend Gary Cole hosted a ‘Let’s Talk Football’ discussion with a panel consisting of Canada assistant coach Tom Sermanni and former Matildas Heather Garriock and Catherine Cannuli.
It was highlighted that only 12 out of 32 head coaches at the World Cup were women, and while it is a women’s World Cup nations still appoint the person they believe is most suitable for the job, with the fact women’s football has not been professional for a long period of time.
Sermanni added: “As the game becomes more professional we will see more female coaches transition from playing to coaching”. Garriock would also explain “there is no career in Australia for coaching (women)” – suggesting the game is still tender and much development still needs to be made.
The resources available in developing the next generation of Matildas is in question, with Australia needing a strategy in place after the conclusion of the World Cup to develop the next generation of players.
Sermanni stated: “We are not doing enough to develop the next generation because there are no longer rescuers and no one in full time development”.
On the back of A-league clubs being handed the responsibility of developing Australia’s talent, Cannuli also shared that “now you have to pay $2500, back when I was playing it was free. We haven’t qualified for a youth world cup in years”. The pathways for women to make it to the top level are limited and should be a key focus the country has in ensuring the future is successful.
To retain and increase the talent in women’s football, Australia must prepare for the rise of participation levels and make the most of the potential on offer. Garriock believes “we are not ready for the influx of participation after the World Cup”. The Matildas success has seen the entire nation support them and sell out stadiums throughout the tournament – the momentum the team is building is something that Australia must capitalise on as the increase in girls playing the game will climb, particularly at the grass roots level.
As the Matildas success continues, they face England in the semi final of the World Cup on Wednesday, August 16 where the nation will watch on to see if they can make history.
Due to the overwhelming support the country has shown the team, multiple watching venues including AAMI Park will be opened for spectators. Channel Seven will show the game live on free-to-air and on its streaming service 7Plus, while Optus Sport will also show the game live, given its broadcast rights for the whole tournament.
