With the Women's World Cup around the corner, Australia's top-flight women's league will gradually expand to a full home-and-away calendar, with 12 teams starting for the 2023-24 season.
"We believe it is that currently, but it needs investment in order to keep it at the level it is [at]. The other sports in Australia are investing in women's [leagues], which is fantastic, but we need to keep pace and stay ahead of those.
"To be able to leverage the amazing participation base we've got that's growing for females, and invest ahead of that, is important. Our board and our partners were all in agreement that now is the time. While fans were not part of the consultation process, the APL has emphasised that another major pillar of their strategy is stronger engagement with women's football-specific fans, which their research has found skews more towards women aged between 25 and 44, men aged between 35 and 44, and families with children aged below 18.
The addition of other competitions that fans can engage with — such as women's versions of the A-League Youth and Australia Cup — are also on the long-term agenda. "This is one that we've thought a lot about. When you look at how you grow engagement, you've got your rusted-on fans [who] are there across both men's and women's football, but then you've got another pocket of fans that are uniquely engaged in the women's game. And we've got to grow both of those," Townsend said.
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