Every four years, Australia is a nation gripped by World Cup fever – but in between, soccer struggles to stay relevant on local shores.
The reasons why? Take your pick. Let’s begin with the embattled A-League Men and Women’s competitions, notably Western United’s licence being put on a 12-month hold last August, or the Newcastle Jets recently almost folding due to a historical tax bill with the Australian Tax Office.
Can you imagine that happening in the AFL or NRL? Not a chance.
While those two rival footy codes are spruiking eventual expansion into the likes of Tasmania, Perth and even Papua New Guinea, the world game in Australia is dying a slow death.
Paltry crowds have been a constant theme at A-League Women’s (ALW) games for many years.
Cost-cutting means some fixtures are played at suburban grounds that lack regular public transport options for supporters.
Every four years, Australia is a nation gripped by World Cup fever – but in between, soccer is struggling to stay relevant on local shores (pictured, Matildas fans at Federation Square in Melbourne during the 2023 Women’s World Cup)
It was a similar story in Melbourne in December of 2022 when the Socceroos lined up against Argentina in Qatar (pictured)
Scheduling kick-off times before 5pm also raises plenty of eyebrows.
And despite being the highest level of soccer for women’s stars in Australia, many full-time salaries aren’t exactly enticing.
According to a 2025 SBS report, the minimum wage is just $25,750 for senior players and $12,800 for scholarship players.
It means plenty have to juggle full-time or part-time work in addition to their soccer commitments.
In January, Matildas star Ellie Carpenter said teammates such as Sam Kerr and Steph Catley are unlikely to finish their playing careers in Australia due to the ’embarrassing’ salaries on offer.
‘After hosting the 2023 (Women’s) World Cup, surely that was a statement to kind of push the league, make it fully professional and pay the players what they are worth,’ she told reporters ahead of the recent Asian Cup, also on home soil,’ Carpenter said.
‘They are training every day so they should be paid well. To have the minimum salary the lowest in the whole of [women’s] sport in Australia… that’s embarrassing.
‘The players who are overseas, we are just disappointed. Some girls that are maybe older in their career or just about to finish, they probably don’t want to go back and finish their careers in Australia, because of where the game’s at.
In January, Matildas star Ellie Carpenter (pictured left) said national teammates such as Sam Kerr and Steph Catley are unlikely to finish their playing careers in Australia due to the ’embarrassing’ salaries on offer in the A-League
Georgios Vrakas (pictured, right) celebrates a goal for Brisbane Roar in front of rows of empty seats at Suncorp Stadium. It’s an all-too-common sight in the A-League
‘Hopefully, we can make changes because (until) then we won’t see the likes of Sam and Steph… they don’t want to go back and end their careers (at home) because of how bad it is.’
The story isn’t much different in the men’s competition, with consistently awful crowd numbers at games featuring the likes of Brisbane Roar, Melbourne City and Perth Glory.
Adelaide have shown the way forward, with Coopers Stadium having a 16,500 crowd capacity.
If the Reds are flying, the boutique venue is packed – and looks much better than rows of empty seats at the likes of Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane and AAMI Park in Melbourne.
Additionally, A-League coverage on Paramount+ requires a monthly subscription, with Channel 10 only showing the match of the round each weekend.
Given that broadcast deal is due to end at the end of the current season, it is hard to see rival network bosses in Australia falling over themselves to take over.
Speaking on SEN Radio on Tuesday, former Manchester United and Chelsea goalkeeper turned pundit Mark Bosnich called for a complete overhaul of the A-League men’s competition, which began in 2005.
Bosnich believes ‘starting from scratch’ is the only way forward.
While Nestory Irankunda (pictured, left) has impressed in the Championship this season in England, fans want players who are instantly identifiable like Harry Kewell and Tim Cahill
And if you are not a rusted-on supporter, few would have even been aware the Socceroos played Curaçao in Melbourne on Tuesday night (pictured, fans during the 2022 World Cup)
When it comes to the Socceroos, the dismal turnout in their recent win over Cameroon in Sydney was telling.
Just under 24,000 fans saw Tony Popovic’s men win 1-0 at Accor Stadium in Sydney – compare that to the whopping 95,103 people who turned up at the MCG to watch the likes of Lucas Neill and Marco Bresciano beat Greece 1-0 pre the 2006 World Cup.
And if you are not a rusted-on supporter, few would have even been aware that the Socceroos played Curaçao – a tiny Caribbean nation – in Melbourne on Tuesday night.
They drew a crowd of just 16,764.
Not having an Aussie playing at a Premier League club hasn’t helped. It is the most popular club competition in the world.
Gone are the days when Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka, Tim Cahill, Vinnie Grella and Mark Schwarzer were sporting darlings due to their exploits at club level against the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool.
While the likes of Nestory Irankunda (Watford) and Mohamed Touré (Norwich City) have impressed in the second-tier Championship this season in England, fans want players who are instantly identifiable.
A modern-day Sam Kerr equivalent, if you will.
Thankfully, come the Socceroos’ first World Cup game against Turkey on June 14 in Vancouver, Popovic’s men will take centre stage – at least briefly.
The Socceroos will be heavily supported in their group games at the World Cup later this year (pictured right, coach Tony Popovic)
Public sites, notably Melbourne’s Federation Square and Sydney’s Darling Harbour, will be heaving with fans decked out in green and gold, cheering on their temporary ‘heroes’.
It will be a similar story for Australia’s other group games against the US (June 20, 5am AEDT) and Paraguay (June 26, 12pm AEDT).
Getting just some of those supporters to then consistently attend domestic games has been the challenge for Football Australia dating back to 2006, and it is fair to say the governing body has failed in spectacular fashion.
Two betting scandals in recent years haven’t helped, image-wise, and neither did a report from Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) last October.
It revealed many A-League footballers were struggling with their mental health and job security.
The report also showed 66 per cent of female players and 43 per cent of male players reported ‘sport-psychological distress’.
So what is the solution for domestic football in Australia ? Ominously, there is no quick fix.
A start would be playing both football competitions from March through to September each year.
Seeing fixtures held in Brisbane’s stifling humidity each January beggars belief, even if they kick-off past 7pm.
Introducing a national second division to cater for promotion and relegation is also vital.
But ultimately, talk is cheap.
Long-suffering supporters want to see the world game succeed in Australia – and until the current model is revamped, soccer at the professional level will be in name only.
