Matildas and Arsenal stars Steph Catley,Kyra Cooney-Cross and Caitlin Foord appear to be bound for Melbourne.Credit:Getty
The deal is contingent on the involvement of Matildas vice-captain Steph Catley,forward Caitlin Foord and midfielder Kyra Cooney-Cross,who are playing a key role in Arsenal’s push for the FA Women’s Super League title this season.
The Australian Professional Leagues,the operators of the A-Leagues,declined to comment. The Victorian government and TEG were both approached for comment.
While an official announcement is some weeks away,the talks are further proof of how women’s football has skyrocketed in popularity since last year’s Women’s World Cup. Never has a state government or promoter seen fit to pay for a women’s club team to come out to Australia,nor have the long-held ambitions for a women’s All Stars match been realised by A-Leagues executives until now. The A-League Women’s competition is also enjoying an uptick across every metric,with memberships up 669 per cent and crowds 114 per cent,year-on-year.
Destination NSW made several strong bids to bring Arsenal to Sydney but were ultimately gazumped by Visit Victoria,sources say. Whether the match is played on the same night as Tottenham’s men – Wednesday,May 22 – or on another evening is one of the last remaining details left for the Victorian government and promoters TEG to iron out.
Ange Postecoglou could bring his Tottenham Hotspur men’s side to Australia.Credit:Getty
A later date could assuage any fears surrounding the potential injury implications for players stemming from another long-haul flight,with such travel believed to be a contributing factor towards ACL injuries.
“When you have players on different continents,the amount of travel they do – and you need to consider jet lag as well – is something we really need to talk about as well,”coach Tony Gustavsson said earlier this month,speaking publicly for the first time since Sam Kerr’s season-ending knee injury. “In terms of player wellbeing,in terms of how many days can they prepare to play a game and then travel back again?”