Matildas look to return to Australia amid pay dispute

The Matildas have been ramping up internal discussions on returning to the A-League Women, and goalkeeper Chloe Lincoln says a potential game-changing pay agreement could pave the way forward.

The A-League Women (ALW) has failed to capitalise on the success of Australia's fourth-place finish at their home 2023 Women's World Cup, partly because almost all high-profile names have departed for overseas clubs.

That list includes Sam Kerr (Gotham FC), Ellie Carpenter (Chelsea FC), Mary Fowler (Manchester City) and the Arsenal trio of Kyra Cooney-Cross, Caitlin Foord and Steph Catley.

Carpenter previously said that a move back to her home country wasn't on the cards, adding that the competition is in a "disappointing" place.

It comes after the Professional Footballer's Association (PFA) found that 96 per cent of the 2023/2024 ALW players were hoping that the league would be professional by the 2026/2027 season, while a later report discovered that 76 per cent of ALW athletes said that their financial situations were 'not at all' or only 'slightly' secure.

The PFA hopes to change those issues and is locked in an ongoing pay dispute with the Australian Professional Leagues (APL).

AAP revealed in July that players had voted down two proposed collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) as major sticking points such as the salary cap have arisen.

But the APL has offered to provide a roadmap to full-time professionalism in the women's game, which will only raise the already perked ears of Matildas players who are keen to return to Australia.

"There's been discussions in camp ... It's starting to come up a little bit more now," Lincoln, one of the Matildas goalkeepers, told AAP.

"I know a lot of those girls have been overseas for a long time now, and as much as it's an amazing opportunity to go play over there, it also can be incredibly difficult.

"The girls are really keen to see the league develop into what it can be, so that they can have full support to come home ... and don't have to be playing in overseas leagues to really be maintaining that international standard that they need to for the Matildas."

The A-League Men and ALW are currently the only major sports competitions in Australia to have no CBA in place, leaving the APL exposed to the threat of industrial action ahead of both seasons starting in October.

"It (CBA) is an amazing opportunity for not just them, but also the league and Australian football," Lincoln, who plays for Brisbane Roar, said.

"For young girls and boys to be able to see that pathway for them, where they can just see the best talent that we have come out of Australia playing in Australia ... is such a huge thing.