The PFA published an extract from former Canberra United defender Cannon Clough in the 2023-24 A-League Women’s report, which highlighted why she decided to leave Australia for the newly formed USL Super League, and the challenges facing the A-League Women.

By Cannon Clough

Recently, I made a huge move back to my homeland in the United States of America to take up an opportunity to play for the Carolina Ascent FC. Having been so far from my family for the last five years, it was a unique opportunity to play for the team in Charlotte, North Carolina, only minutes from where I grew up. The decision was also a “leap of faith” to join a brand new league and team.

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Some of the other factors in coming home were the fact that the contracts were a full year long, unlike the situation in Australia for most players. The club also provides health insurance plans for the players so that if anything happens to us off pitch or outside of training we are still covered.The investment into this league in its first year makes it desirable to play in, as well as the choice to be on Peacock (a streaming service from NBC Universal) for the broadcast.

Click here to read and download the report.

At our club specifically, I have noticed the investment into an entire team whose job is to create awesome marketing strategies so that we are visible to the public, and a great ticket sales team that is constantly pushing to sell us out going into the inaugural season, creating a fan experience that fans want to be a part of.We have a high performance and medical staff that is available to us 24/7. Our owner comes to training occasionally and is on first name basis with the girls and doesn’t fail to let us know he backs us. I’ve not been in an environment like that before.

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I have absolutely loved my time in Australia and specifically playing in the A-League.The A-League gave me the opportunity to live out one of my dreams! It has a huge place in my heart and if I can make my way back over there at some point to play again, I would do it in a heartbeat! In terms of lifestyle, Australia is the place to be. Some of my best friends for life are in Australia in the A-League.

Having the PFA in Australia was instrumental because without it, clubs and the league are less accountable. We do not yet have a players’ union for the USL which I believe needs to happen as soon as possible.

Some of the factors that would make it more desirable for internationals coming to Australia would be:

  • 12-month contracts
  • Multi-year deals
  • Higher minimum wage
  • More visibility through broadcast
  • Improvement of high performance environments