Australian women’s football league breaks youth season pass record

Australia’s women’s football league has seen a surge in interest ahead of the 2023-24 campaign with a doubling of free season passes obtained.

The Liberty A-League Pass, which offers fans under the age of 16 a free season pass to the Liberty A-League Women, has hit a record 20,000 sign-ups, which is more than double last year’s total.

The growth in interest comes in the wake of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, which was jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

The 20,000 milestone has been reached two weeks before the opening weekend of the season, when the league hopes to break domestic attendance records. Round one games are scheduled for major venues such as Sydney’s Allianz Stadium and Wellington’s Sky Stadium.

Nick Garcia, A-Leagues Commissioner, said the increase in interest has been seen across the competition’s 12 teams.

“The Liberty A-League Women is looking to raise the bar this season, fuelled by the enthusiasm of young football fans who were captivated by the historic achievements of the CommBank Matildas during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup,” Garcia said. “We’ve seen eight clubs already break their women’s membership records and it is fantastic to see the Liberty A-League Pass hit 20,000 sign-ups and climbing.

“The Liberty A-League Pass is not just about breaking records; it’s about breaking barriers for our young fans. This initiative offers them a front-row seat to witness the best of women’s football and future Matildas in action, right here on home soil – live and free.”

Earlier this month, four teams — Brisbane Roar, Canberra United, Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC — announced they had broken their A-League Women membership records.

Before the 2023 Women’s World Cup semi-finals, FIFA said that the average crowd for games across the 10 host venues was 28,900 – an increase of over 7,000 compared to the 2019 edition in France.