Matildas captain slams A-League Women investment and uncertainty surrounding Central Coast Mariners
Anna Harrington
Matildas captain Sam Kerr has criticized the uncertainty facing the Central Coast women’s team and the lack of investment in the Women’s A-League just three years after Australia hosted the Women’s World Cup.
Last month, Total Soccer Growth Holdings took control of the struggling Mariners’ men’s team but not the women’s team.
The future of the women’s team – like Canberra United – remains uncertain with the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) seeking a buyer.
“I’ve been reading this week about the Central Coast Mariners and what’s going on in Australia at the moment and it’s pretty disappointing to be honest,” Kerr said at a signing press conference with National Women’s Soccer League club Gotham FC on Thursday.
“You would think that after the 2023 World Cup there would be a big investment in the A-League and the girls deserve it, now you are seeing more and more players having to leave the A-League.
“In Australia we want to keep our national team players, we want to keep as many top level athletes as possible, but without investment the players won’t stay.
“Of course I would like there to be more investment – I don’t know the answer, I’m just an athlete, I’m just a player – but I know that the more you invest off the field in facilities and infrastructure and all that for these girls, it pays off on the field as well.
“So I’m really sorry to hear about what’s going on in the A-League at the moment, but I think it’s probably the people at the top who have all the answers, or those who don’t have the answers, or those who need change. But something has to change, because it’s not supposed to happen after the 2023 World Cup.”
Two of the league’s best players, Holly McNamara and Isabel Gomez, are leaving to further their careers.
But there has also been an exodus of players to America’s second-tier USL Super League or Canada’s Super League North for better wages.
Low wages, where the minimum wage is currently $27,000, provide little incentive for Matildas stars to finish their careers in Australia.
Former Perth Glory star Kerr won’t be returning anytime soon.
After six years at Chelsea, Kerr returned to the US with New Jersey-based Gotham until 2030 and believes the move will bring him stability.
This will take her to the 2027 Women’s World Cup and the 2028 Olympics with the Matildas.
“Staying at Chelsea for that long paid off on the pitch,” Kerr said.
“So I have hope in that regard, I have a stable place to call home and I will be able to train to the best of my ability, play to the best of my ability and know what the next two or three years of national team and also club football will hold, allowing me to be in the best shape possible, not only for Gotham but also for the Matildas.”
The striker’s last two years at Chelsea were largely ruined by an ACL injury, but Kerr, 32, found his form late last season and hopes to “hit the ground running” at Gotham.
“I’ve scored some of the best goals I’ve scored this year, some in the Asian Cup, some in my last game for Chelsea,” Kerr said. he said.
“And I think that just shows that if I go out there with the right people around me and the right coach to coach me, I can still perform to the best of my ability.
“… I hope my club football turns into national team football, but they are as important as each other and I will do my best to score as many goals as possible. [as possible] For both teams.”
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