Record crowds turned out to support the first round of Australia's domestic women's soccer league following the Matildas' meteoric rise. The legacy of the 2023 Women's World Cup, which broke attendance and television viewing records, has continued into the A-League Women's competition. Cortnee Vine, who scored the Matildas' winning penalty against France in a semi-final thriller, ran out for Sydney FC in front of a record crowd at Allianz Stadium on October 14. Nearly 11,500 fans cheered on the Sky Blues in a 2-0 win over the Western Sydney Wanderers, surpassing last season's grand final crowd of 9,519. "Women's football is booming after the success of the FIFA Women's World Cup and I'm delighted Sydney FC is continuing to help the game grow," Sydney FC chief executive Adam Santo said. The club's membership for its women's side also rocketed up 800 per cent on the previous season after the Women's World Cup. Other clubs including Melbourne Victory and Canberra United have also broken their women's membership records as scores signed up to support women's soccer. IN OTHER NEWS: It follows attendance records tumbling overseas in the UK's Women's Super League where many Matildas' stars play their club football. Aussies Caitlin Foord, Steph Catley and Kyra Cooney-Cross became household names during the world cup and ran out for Arsenal in front of a new league record 54,115 spectators in their opening match. The league is also home to Matildas' captain Sam Kerr (Chelsea), hero goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold (West Ham) and star striker Mary Fowler (Manchester City). The Matildas return to Australia in October for the Paris 2024 Olympic Asian Qualifiers. Kerr will again captain the side as they take on Iran, the Philippines and Chinese Taipei in her hometown of Perth. Tickets to two of the matches have sold out and more than 50,000 sold for the October 29 match against the Philippines at Optus Stadium.
