Only 16 clubs across seven countries pay their female footballers more than US$50,000 ($78,000) a year, according to a new report from world football governing body FIFA.
The average salary for female footballer globally is around US$10,900 ($17,091).
When restricted to top-tier leagues, the average salary more than doubles to around US$24,030 ($37,682).
This data comes from the newly released 2024 edition of the FIFA Women's Football Benchmarking Report, which collects data about the experiences of female players from 86 leagues and 669 clubs around the world.
"FIFA’s report gets some things right, such as the crucial benefits to both players and leagues from making players full-time professionals who can maximise their potential," said Beau Busch, chief executive of players union Professional Footballers Australia (PFA).
"The detail it misses for A-League Women is that our talent pool is being drained by leagues that have raced ahead, including the WSL (England's Women's Super League) and NWSL (National Women's Soccer League in the US) but also the US second tier and the new Canadian professional league."
The PFA has been calling for improvements to the A-League Women competition including full-time professionalism and improvements to match presentation and club environments.
Matildas star Michelle Heyman in action for Canberra United. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch
The Australian Professional Leagues, which governs the A-League competitions, says the A-League Women would be classified as a Tier 1 league under FIFA's framework.
Almost three-quarters of players in Tier 1 leagues reported that football was their primary source of income.
The proportion was lower in the other tiers, with 1 in 2 players in Tier 2 leagues and 1 in 5 players in Tier 3 leagues gaining their main source of income from football.
The majority of players in the A-League Women competition play on one-season contracts that last for 35 weeks.
In Tier 1 leagues globally, less than a third of contracts were less than a year on average.
The A-League competition was mentioned in the FIFA report as an example of strategic expansion, with the number of teams and games played increasing from past seasons.
FIFA also highlighted the increase in the record for outbound transfer fees for A-League Women players.
The undisclosed transfer fee for the move of Sharn Freier (right) from Brisbane Roar to Vfl Wolfsburg in Germany broke the club's record. Source: AAP / Rob Prezioso
"Australian football failed to capitalise on the Women's World Cup to build a lasting legacy for the professional game — we cannot afford to make the same mistake again."
