The "bitter pay dispute that has split Australian professional football” has prompted the intervention of A-League supporters. Fans of Sydney FC reacted to the news of the Matildas' withdrawal from a two-game friendly tour of the U.S. “over the state of pay for female footballers.” Through a supporter group website, the fans created an online donation to “help fund the club's W-League team” with the initial goal raising enough money to sponsor a player for the season. The supporter group, The Cove, has raised more than A$5,500 ($4,000) since Saturday and “are on track to sponsor two of the club's players this season.” Within just four hours of its donations going live, more than A$1,600 ($1,150) was raised by fans, with one person donating A$250 ($180) to sponsor a W-League player. In total, 86 individual payments were made to the cause listed on the supporter group website (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 9/16). ... The Australian Football League has written to all clubs “warning them about salary cap rorts and under-the-table deals” on the eve of the trading season. The league has put all clubs “on notice that they will be scrutinised over a range of issues that could be an abuse of the player trading system or the salary cap” (THE AGE, 9/16).
