Some of Australia’s top women’s soccer players will have the opportunity to try to double their salary this year in the inaugural Women’s Asian Champions League. Melbourne City is the sole club representing Australia in the competition.
Context
Having successfully played through the group stage in October, Melbourne City are now looking ahead to a quarter-final against Taiwan’s Taichung Blue Whale on 23 March. The tournament presents a unique opportunity for the women on the team because of its $2 million prize pool to be shared among the clubs and players. The team that wins the final in May will see each player awarded $50,000, much higher than the A-League Women average salary
If Melbourne City were to win, they would also be the only Australian club to match the achievements of the Western Sydney Wanderers, who won the men’s Asian Champions League in 2014.
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Melbourne City captain Rebekah Stott said: “We want to play good football, but it’s like a carrot dangling in front of you, it’s really cool, it’s really good for women’s football”.
Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Beau Busch said: "For clubs like Melbourne City, this will allow them to continue to attract and retain talent, which ultimately we're in a battle for. It gives us a point of difference and another important revenue stream for the game, to be able to ensure it can invest into the careers of players."
Women’s Asian Champions League
Melbourne City won all three matches of the Group Stage, topping Group B. The Taichung Blue Whale only won one of their three matches. The winner of the quarter-final will advance to the semi-final against the winner of South Korea’s Incheon Red Angels and Iran’s Bam Khatoon.
Semi-finals will be played on 21 May, with the tournament decider to follow on 24 May.
