FFA Women's Council Chair Ros Moriarty says Australian football must capitalise on the momentum created by the Matildas' breakthrough pay deal to drive the women's game forward.
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The revenue-sharing model that closed the pay gap between the Socceroos and Matildas earned worldwide praise, but Moriarty said it was a first step towards game-wide equality, especially amid Australia's bid for the 2023 Women's World Cup.
"It's really important - it's a terrific announcement and, obviously, it's the hard work particularly of the PFA and the FFA over a period - and the players themselves - and to see that happen, and also it represents goodwill from the Socceroos and a great groundswell for the Matildas," Moriarty told AAP.
"It's just a great news story all around - we really need to see that filter throughout the game but it's a great first step."
On Tuesday, the Women's Football Council will launch its 10-year business case plan to drive investment in Australian women's football from new funding sources, creating a road map towards full equality from the grassroots to the top level.
Crucially, the plan goes beyond strategy - with benchmarks and KPIs providing accountability for its key aims and how they'll be funded.
"There's not been a business case that's been developed for women's football in Australia that can drill down into what investment do we need. What's the road map; what are the KPIs; what do we need to be doing at various points for the next 10 years to keep pace with the turbo charge that we're seeing of women's football globally?" Moriarty said.
"So this is about the Women's Council instigating this business case plan which will give us a road map for 10 years and we'll know what that will cost and where we need to go to fund it."
With Australia in the thick of bidding for the 2023 Women's World Cup, Moriarty and FFA chairman Chris Nikou emphasised the initiative's role in showcasing the country's intent to FIFA.
"This business case plan will demonstrate how serious Australia is about sustainably growing participation by women and girls in football," Nikou said in a statement.
"It is no secret, internationally, that women's football represents very significant value for the game, and this plan is an important legacy piece for our 2023 Women's World Cup bid."
The project will involve FFA, the PFA, member federations and other key stakeholders - including the independent A-League/W-League.
At a national level, that is set to include a push for a women's equivalent of the men's Y-League, allowing players to develop and earn minutes when they don't feature in their team's W-League squads.
"Every spot across the football ecosystem needs to have a view on 'what does it mean for the girls and women'?'" Moriarty said.
Australian Associated Press
