Sam Malcolmson: Aussie league place to grow women's game

The Football Ferns under the guidance of Tony Readings are ranked 16th in the world.

Women's football is the game that has come in from the cold.

Once treated like an outcast by the New Zealand football powers, it has become the hot ticket even if the profile still falls way behind the men.

This year's World Cup in Canada, which begins in early June, is a chance for the women's game to gain further pace.

But I also wonder whether the really significant opportunity lies elsewhere, by following the lead of the Wellington Phoenix.

The women's version of the A-league, the W-league, was formed in 2008 and is an eight-team competition which runs from November to February.

Entering a team in Australia's league could take the game ahead in leaps and bounds. Money is the big hurdle, but it might be something for the football leaders to think about.

The rapid rise and acceptance of women's football needs an outlet, something that will help bring the game to the surface.

The growth has not just occurred in the urban areas but in places like Warkworth where All Whites goalkeeping coach Paul Gothard coaches 11- and 12-year-old girls.

There are a few reasons why men often enjoy coaching women. I helped coach Auckland in the late 80s and the women give 100 per cent in terms of effort, enthusiasm, listening and desire to improve.

There are so many reasons for optimism. New Zealand Football is now supporting the women's game with full-time staff. The Football Ferns under the guidance of Tony Readings are ranked 18th in the world, and are capable of getting to the knockout stage of the World Cup in Canada.

From the more dedicated approach of NZF to the scholarships on offer in America, women's football has found its feet.

The success of the first under-17 World Cup held in NZ in 2008 also illustrated how much work we had to do to become a force on the world stage. That tournament was won by the Korea DPR, who were technically superior and physically stronger than all their opposition.

Readings has no doubt that the partnership with High Performance Sport will allow what were pipe dreams to become reality. That was further emphasised last week when the Football Ferns left for a two-match tour of Spain to prepare for the World Cup. But domestic competitions are struggling in all sports in New Zealand and the answer for a significant few has been to join forces with Australia. I strongly believe women's football should do the same in the W-league.

Thriller worthy of a finalMore than 22,000 fans watched the Wellington Phoenix win the most exciting A-league game of the season against the Melbourne Victory. The game was worthy of a title decider -- one of these teams will win the final come May.