All W-League games will be broadcast this season in "a massive step forward for the women's game" and Canberra United will be featured in three standalone Thursday night matches, according to Eamonn Tiernan of THE AGE. Every match will be broadcast or streamed on Fox Sports or SBS, with games also available to the U.S. and U.K. markets. The broadcast deal takes the W-League "back up the pecking order" in Australian women's sport. Canberra coach Heather Garriock said, "I'm super excited because it shows how far the women's game has come." In "another boost" for the W-League, the salary cap was "bumped" by 16% to A$350,000 ($252,000) and the minimum contract rose to A$12,287 ($8,850). It means players will receive an approximate average of A$17,500 ($12,600) for the four-month season. W-League Head Greg O'Rourke said, "It is our desire to make the W-League the football league of choice for the best female footballers in the world and football fans" (THE AGE, 9/6). THE AGE's Michael Lynch reported O'Rourke is "optimistic" that the new pay-and-conditions deal, announced as a "breakthrough" for women's football players last season, will "help the game retain and recruit players as the battle for top athletes develops in women's sport" (THE AGE, 9/6).
