Why England’s WSL has become a ‘home away from home’ for Australian talent – and how it has helped the Matildas hit new heights

Clare Wheeler, the Everton midfielder with 46 Australia caps, was just 15 years old when she earned her senior breakthrough with Newcastle Jets in the A-League. That same year, the NWSL launched and some of Australia's best talent moved Stateside, including Kerr, Foord, Lisa De Vanna, Kyah Simon and Emily van Egmond.

Over the next eight years, Wheeler watched from afar as the Matildas’ biggest stars put themselves through a truly gruelling schedule. From approximately March to November, they would play in the U.S., then they would return home to play in the A-League, then known as the W-League, until January or February, depending on the season’s dates and if their team reached the Grand Final. Those players would then return to America to do it all over again.

“I think that, for me, probably was a barrier to want to do that, to go to America and then come back and then play in the summer. You never got an off-season,” Wheeler, whose first move abroad was to Denmark’s Fortuna Hjorring in 2021, told GOAL previously. “Obviously, you would have internationals within that as well. That's why, for my first move, I wanted to come to Europe to have that full season.”

Kennedy, who now plays for London City Lionesses, was among the many Aussies who endured that relentless cycle. It’s easy to see why so many did; it exposed them to what was the best league in the world at the time, while also allowing them to come home and see friends and family for a few months. However, as Kennedy herself puts it: “I think it just got to a point where it was not really sustainable.”

The A-League was expanding, and now plays a season twice as long, while the physical demand on the players was already huge. It’s no surprise most were putting themselves “in a position where you had a break at some point,” as Kennedy explains.

“There are definitely moments in camps where you look around and everyone does seem exhausted,” Catley said back in 2020, after signing for Arsenal and breaking the cycle for herself. “Making those trips in from the U.S. constantly and then never actually having an off-season, it definitely catches up with you.

“I think that’s been a problem for us at major tournaments,” she added. “We’ve gone in with a full squad and then had players break down pretty quickly. As small a thing as it seemed in the past, the last few years, I think it’s definitely caught up with us and our bodies.”

With the A-League still developing, in order to break that cycle but stay at the top level, players could either stay in the NWSL or move to a league in Europe. Why, then, did so many choose to head to England?

For one, the 2020 NWSL season didn’t go ahead in full due to the Covid-19 pandemic, whereas the WSL’s 2020-21 campaign did. Many Americans took that opportunity to see what the English league was all about for a brief period, as did several Aussies.

For those who had spent time in the U.S, the WSL presented a different experience and a new challenge, one that was also worth taking now that, in the eyes of Catley at the time, the quality of the league had developed to the point that it was “on par with America”. That growth has only continued in the six years since she signed for Arsenal, meaning the division is now, for many, the best league in the world.

A large part of that is related to its professionalism, which is something Fowler, who joined Manchester City in 2022, was keen to pick up on. “I think England is a very good example of women's football done right,” she told GOAL. “Wages are good for players, the media coverage is good for our teams and it's progressing in a way where players are also able to get behind that and feel like we have a voice.

“I don't think it’s quite like that in other leagues. It's not really like that in Australia. I think in order for people to progress their careers, they're wanting to get over to leagues where things are moving forward. For me personally, England has the best league in the world.”

For some, there are cultural reasons, too. Kennedy has jumped between the WSL and the NWSL for the last decade, but has spent most of the last six years in England. “I think it’s very similar to Australia, at least the people, maybe not so much the climate,” she laughs. “But the people are pretty similar, pretty laid-back, so I find England more like home to me. I love it here.”

Having so many Aussies in a league that is in a small and therefore easily accessible country helps as well, especially when you are 10,000 miles from home. “You kind of band together a little bit because you are so far away from home,” Wheeler noted.

“That's always helpful, having a lot of your close friends or people who are very familiar around,” Kennedy concurs. “That's something that I also enjoy.”

That mass migration of Matildas to England – but also Europe – has also had a positive impact on the national team. While in the past some might have stayed at home to play in the A-League, as each year has passed, more players have made moves abroad that have exposed them to new and high-quality football, coaching and environments that have improved them as players and, as such, helped improve the Australia national team.

No one is on that relentless cycle of playing back-to-back seasons in the U.S. and at home anymore either, reducing the exhaustion and injury risk that Catley previously spoke of.

“You don't want to be actively sending players overseas,” Husband, assistant coach to the Matildas, admits, “but if that's going to ultimately help accelerate their development, then that's what's best for them for their careers in order to then help our national team produce even better players. They have some phenomenal competitions [to play in]. I don't think you'll find a better tournament than the UEFA Champions League."

In 2021, at the delayed Olympic Games, Australia reached the semi-finals, representing their best-ever performance at a major international tournament. Of the 22 players selected for the Games, 18 were playing in Europe, with eight in England. In 2023, at their home World Cup, the Matildas matched that achievement in what was an historic tournament for women’s football in Australia. Of the 23-player squad, 19 were based in Europe, with 11 in the WSL.

“When we get to the national team, we have so many high-quality players and it definitely helps that we're in high-level environments and training with good quality players around us day in, day out,” Fowler believes. “Even the coaching quality, being around coaches that do have a really good football IQ, I think it just all helps with players growing and progressing in their own careers.”

A lot of credit has to be given to the staff around these players too, who make sure they are in the best position to perform despite the demands that come with being an Australian abroad.

Every year, FIFPRO conducts research into players’ workload and presents a list of the most travelled footballers. In its most recent report, for the 2024-25 season, the four most travelled women’s players were all Australian.

“We can't change where Australia is located, unfortunately,” Wheeler said. “It'd be great if we could,” Husband adds, with a laugh. “I'd move it closer to Europe, as long as we can keep our climate.”

Everything that can be done to help, though, is being done. Sharkey, the Matildas’ Physical Performance Lead, is based in England, “because it’s easy to communicate with clubs and with players," due to location and time zone. Maintaining those good relationships with clubs is vital when looking at how to protect and aid players. “We create an environment where we're working together to support both sides, understanding what our objectives are and making sure we're not putting the player in the middle and creating conflict," he says.

There are then all the processes for when a player is on the move. “We're probably expert when it comes to managing travel,” Sharkey, who is in his second stint working with the Matildas, says. “We'll give them travel leggings that are 3D images of the lower body and bespoke to make sure it's the right pressure while they're travelling. [Then there is] ensuring they have light and dark exposure upon arrival, when they should have caffeine, when they should be active, when they should take melatonin - all these different things we try to incorporate into their support when they arrive [on camp].”

None of it is possible without great funding and support for the performance and medical departments by Football Australia, with Sharkey also keen to point to the research and innovation department, plus the strong sports science network in Australia that provides “the latest innovation and guidance”.

And while it’s not possible to pick up and relocate Australia, the federation has started to relocate the Matildas’ camps in recent times. It’s not ideal; the dream would be to play as many games in front of their adoring, passionate home crowd as possible. But spending some international breaks in Europe, as the team did in October, helps reduce the travel, and camps like the most recent, held in Germany and France, are smart when looking at the Matildas’ 2027 schedule, which features Olympic qualifiers that have to take place in Asia and Australia.

Europe-based camps are beneficial for various reasons, a key one being time. All the players arrived to camp in October on the Monday, so they could be on the training pitch by Tuesday. Had that camp been in Australia, the players would have likely landed on Tuesday evening, delaying any involvement on-pitch until probably Thursday, before what is often a Friday game.

“You know what coaches are like. The more time and more exposure we get to players, the happier we become, and the less time and less exposure we get, the grumpier we are,” Husband laughs. “For us, coming across to Europe has that added benefit of two, three, four more sessions over the course of an international break.”

The number of players those European camps benefit is growing, too. Only two in the October squad had to endure the long-haul flight from Australia. That’s because more and more stars from the A-League are getting their big moves, with Apostolakis, Murphy, McKenna, Tori Tumeth, Leah Davidson, Hana Lowry and Holly McNamara all players in Montemurro’s latest squad who moved abroad for the first time in 2026.

While this trend has generally meant good things for the national team, it has had a negative impact on the A-League. Gone are the Matildas and international stars who, back when playing in both the U.S. and Australia was popular, would not only improve the quality of the division, but also give it more attention and draw in more fans.

This also comes amid a pay dispute between the A-Leagues – men and women – and its players, which Chelsea star Carpenter branded as "disappointing" when she returned home during the Blues' pre-season tour a few months ago. "We need to invest more," she told reporters.

It might be tough for the A-League to compete with the WSL, the NWSL and other top women’s leagues, but it still absolutely has a role to play as a development league for the next generation of Matildas. Every player on the national team came through that pathway, and ensuring it remains strong should be a priority.

“The biggest and the best thing about the A-League is that we've got players from the age of 16 up to 23 and 24 getting exposure to unbelievable match minutes at a senior level,” Husband notes. That remaining the case is important and, as such, ironing out ongoing issues is too.

When discussing the pay dispute in August, Carpenter expressed a hope that in the future, as her incredible career winds down, she might be able to return to Australia to close it out. "Hopefully that changes and hopefully I'm stood here, in five to eight years, playing in this league and ending my career in Australia,” she said. “I hope that will be possible and we can see more Matildas come back here soon.”

For now, though, the 26-year-old is in England showcasing the world-class talent she has, as are so many of her international team-mates, including plenty of young stars who are hoping to follow in her footsteps and become a stalwart with the Matildas.

“I think that's where their ambition and drive comes from, being around players who are at big clubs,” Kennedy says of the generation that will eventually come through to succeed her, Kerr, Foord, Catley and the various veterans who have made themselves icons back home. “Then comes the interest of, 'Oh, maybe I want to try that'. Next thing you know, they're on the plane across the world as well, which is just what's needed for us to become a better national team.”