Why are Australians thriving in WSL but not Premier League?

The Premier League used to feature plenty of Australian talent.

Mark Schwarzer played 514 Premier League games – more than any of his compatriots – while Lucas Neill, Harry Kewell, Brett Emerton, Tim Cahill, Mark Viduka, Mark Bosnich, Mat Ryan, Aaron Mooy and Mile Jedinak all established themselves in England's top flight.

But while there are a number of Australians in the men's Championship, the Premier League has just one representative.

Lucas Herrington, 18, recently joined promoted Hull City from Colorado Rapids in a deal believed to be worth about £17m including add-ons., external

The picture is very different in the Women's Super League.

There are 13 Australians across eight clubs, including three at Arsenal and three at promoted Charlton Athletic.

So why has England's top women's division become a magnet for Australian players, while the path to the Premier League has become less well-trodden?

Matildas head coach Joe Montemurro suggests one factor is that more men's players are staying in Australia.

So while there are still Australians coming to England to play - such as Portsmouth's Hayden Matthews and Thomas Waddingham, Norwich's Mohamed Toure, Middlesbrough's Riley McGree and Blackburn's Lewis Miller, Montemurro suggests that many more who might have made the long trip are now choosing the A-League instead.

"I think the establishment of the men's professional league in Australia [in 2004] is a reason for a lot of players to stay - they are quite happy to be professionals within their own country," Montemurro told BBC Sport.

"Also, there has been a lot of development in African and Asian countries which has likely widened the net of talent, which means clubs may look elsewhere."

Montemurro thinks the introduction of the WSL second division has probably helped more female Australian footballers play in England.

"The growth of the game in England in club professionalism and with the expansion of WSL to include a second tier [WSL 2] has contributed to more female Australians playing in England," he said.

There are four Australian players in WSL 2 - Alexia Apostolakis (Bristol City), Rachel Lowe (Durham), Kaitlyn Torpey (Newcastle) and Alana Murphy (Nottingham Forest).

Among Australia's men's squad, there are players spread across the world.

Four play in Australia's top flight, two play in the English Championship, three in Japan, and two each in Italy and Germany. The rest feature across countries including Scotland, Austria and the Netherlands.

The table below shows the Socceroos' dispersed overseas pathways.

The A-League Women (ALW), Australia's top-flight competition, was known as the W-League until 2021. Established in 2008, it initially appeared to be on an upward trajectory - with new clubs, leading Matildas and international players, growing crowds and increased media coverage.

But concerns have since emerged over its financial sustainability.

A 2025 players' union report, external found the ALW was "by far" Australia's lowest-paid professional women's competition. Minimum salaries were A$26,500 (about £13,900), compared with A$74,851 (£39,300) in women's cricket and A$67,337 (£35,400) in the AFL - the Australian rules competition.

The A-League Men and ALW are also the only major Australian sports competitions without a collective bargaining agreement, leaving the domestic game exposed to the threat of industrial action.

With average WSL salaries reported at about £47,000 in 2022, the financial gap may well be a factor in why more female Australian players are choosing England.

Chelsea and Australia international Ellie Carpenter recently criticised, external the state of the Australian women's game after a pre-season friendly against Sydney FC.

"It's disappointing to see where the league is at here now in Australia, especially coming off the back of the World Cup in 2023 and the buzz here," Carpenter said.

"I really think that we need to follow that and we need to invest more."

Asked if she might return to play in Australia, Carpenter said finances would be a barrier.

"I don't think that's really on the cards, financially, for me to come back here," Carpenter said.

"Hopefully that changes and ending my career in Australia will be possible."

In 2025, Football Australia reported 1.93 million Australian participants, external, making it the country's most-played sport. Yet despite the Socceroos qualifying for six successive men's World Cups, Australia has no dedicated national headquarters for its teams, coaching programmes and administration.

The Home of the Matildas facility in Melbourne opened in 2023 but is not a permanent base for both senior national teams. The Socceroos continue to train at different venues depending on fixtures and availability.

That contrasts with nations such as England and France, which have dedicated centres at St George's Park and Clairefontaine.

Former Socceroos coach Graham Arnold described Football Australia as "homeless, external" in 2024 after his side prepared for World Cup qualifiers against Lebanon at the NSW Rugby League Centre of Excellence.

Montemurro believes Australia's size means more than one centre may be needed.

"We probably need one or two and we need some geographical touch points where we maybe have one where all the northern states can meet and then all the southern states can meet accordingly," he says.

"I think it would be important to have a couple of national centres where we can reconvene a lot of our development squads and our youth squads on a more regular basis.

"I believe a couple of base hubs in Australia could help our youth development."

Australia co-hosted the Women's World Cup in 2023, with the Matildas reaching the semi-finals for the first time after they beat France.

Their rise since then has turned them into one of Australia's most recognisable sporting brands, opening the door to opportunities overseas - evidence of the lasting impact that hosting a major tournament can have.

"The Women's World Cup in 2023 changed perception of the football landscape, not just the perception of the players but also the level of coaches, administrators and the general perception of football in Australia," Montemurro says.