The Football Sack

.

Westfield W-League  

Enter your email address:

We will not send you any further emails or spam, just our W-League articles.

Hyundai A-League  

Enter your email address:

We will not send you any further emails or spam, just our A-League articles.

A-League Webcomic  

Receive the weekly Sack Attack Hyundai A-League Webcomic directly to your email.

Enter your email address:

We will not send you any further emails or spam, just the webcomic.

State Leagues  

W-League: Sydney FC vs Perth Glory

Monday, December 13, 2010

by
DSC02439WIN Stadium played host to both the National Youth League and the Westfield W-League this week, but failed to capture the imagination of the Wollongong public.

On a perfect day, around 300 people headed to the double-header fixture, and not even a demolished Western stand could make those numbers look like a crowd.

A more positive note for the Sydney fans in attendance was that both their teams secured three points. The Sky Blue youth held out for a 2-1 win over Brisbane Roar, while the women kept a clean sheet and won 2-0.

Kyah Simon and Leena Khamis were the scorers in the W-League fixture, and their partnership up front continued to blossom. Simon looked a class above most on-pitch, and it is easy to see why she generates publicity.

Despite Simon's skill, the Youth League game prior to the W-League fixture was still a much higher standard of football. The women's play was continually scrappy - chips across field, passes through the air which were often to no-one, long balls, etc. This all unsurprisingly leads to the ball being easily turned over. There is still good football on show, and at times moments of brilliance, but it is a different style of play.

Speaking to my colleague Christian Layland, he believes that this is due to the inferior level of coaching at women's level. Furthermore, the lower level of skill leads teammates to be somewhat untrusting in their passes - for example defenders preferring a longer, lobbed pass up-field to a built up play from the back. Similarly in the midfielders, who continually try to find their strikers with balls through the air.

Hopefully in several years of the W-League we will see the coaching level improve, as has been the case in the A-League as the competition has matured.

The afternoon of football was very much enjoyable, and if you haven't attended a match before, you'll be happy to know the affiliation to your A-League team certainly crosses over to the NYL and W-League. And, if you are a Sydney fan, you may be more likely to see a win.