A-League Women needs more investment to lure top players home, says Sam Kerr

Australian football star Sam Kerr has called for increased investment in the A-League Women, arguing that greater financial support is crucial to entice top national team players, known as the Matildas, to return to play domestically. Kerr, who recently moved to Gotham FC in the U.S. National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) after a stint with Chelsea, believes that many of Australia's leading players would consider returning if the domestic competition provided a more robust professional environment.

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We need to find a way to get all the best players back. If it paid enough and it was a top league, a lot of us Matildas would go back, but to better ourselves for the national team, we have to go overseas.

Kerr highlighted that the A-League Women's current salary structure is a major deterrent. Player salaries are considerably lower than those offered in other major women's domestic competitions globally, including the NWSL. Last year, A-League Women players earned minimum salaries of A$26,500, starkly contrasting with the NWSL's minimum earnings of $48,500 in 2025, set to rise to $50,500 in 2026. "If it paid enough and it was a top league, a lot of us Matildas would go back, but to better ourselves for the national team, we have to go overseas," Kerr told ABC Sport.

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The A-League was thriving, or the W-League back then was thriving when the national team players and players from the NWSL, players from England were coming over.

She reminisced about a time when the A-League (then the W-League) thrived with the presence of national team players and those returning from overseas leagues. Kerr acknowledged that the A-League Women shares some similarities with the NWSL in terms of its transitional nature and off-pitch aspects. However, she emphasized the need for more investment and time to foster its growth. Currently, many of Australia's elite female footballers, including Caitlin Foord, Steph Catley, and Katrina Gorry, play in Europe, while a few are based in the United States, underscoring the league's struggle to retain its best talent.

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The A-League's probably more similar to the NWSL. It's more transitional, probably on the same level as the NWSL off the pitch with things like that. But I think the A-League probably needs a little bit more investment, a little bit more time.