Why today’s A-League semi-final is crucial for regional women’s football

Newcastle Jets captain Cass Davis knows a lot about records, but even more about pressure.

With more than 150 games under her belt, she is the most capped player in the club’s women’s team and will lead the Jets into today’s semi-final against Melbourne City at Maitland.

“I’m just really excited [to see] how far football’s come since I started here, back in 2013,” Davis says.

“You look back then at the crowd numbers, and now you look at what we’re getting this season.

“There’s been a lot of struggles throughout those times, and sometimes you have so many struggles that you kind of mentally have to be like ‘when’s the next up going to be?'”

The “up” has arrived in the form of one of the most important games in the club’s history.

The Jets are up for sale for the fourth time since they took flight in 2000, but they’re struggling to pin down a buyer, which is threatening the survival of their men’s, women’s and development sides.

The club’s licence was cancelled under former owner Martin Lee for unpaid debts in 2021, which was the third time finances have almost spelled the end.

A consortium of other A-League clubs stepped in to temporarily bankroll the Jets in 2021, in the interest of keeping a foundation team in the A-League.

But that agreement is nearing expiry and the clock is ticking for the Jets.

Executives have stressed to fans that there are several interested parties and they’re intensely negotiating potential deals.

But the prospect of a foundation A-League football club folding as the league enjoys booming attendance off the back of the Matildas’ World Cup campaign is a worrying possibility for soccer in Australia’s largest regional city.

Hunter football fever

Statistics from Northern NSW Football, which regulates club soccer from Newcastle to the Queensland border show there has been a 14 per cent increase in registrations for all genders in the Hunter region this year.

Within that there has been a 23 per cent surge in registrations for players who identify as female.

That boost has undoubtedly come off the back of the Matildas’ World Cup run, which inspired countless girls to follow in the footsteps of players like Emily Van Egmond and Clare Wheeler, who both got their start with the Jets.

“Newcastle is a fantastic football market,” a spokesperson for the Australian Professional Leagues told the ABC in a statement last month when asked about the status of the Jets sale.

“We hope there can be a resolution [for the ownership] in the coming weeks.”

But those weeks have passed and Jets fans can’t help but wonder if a saviour will arrive to keep a professional football presence, particularly for women, alive in the region.

Jets interim women’s coach Ryan Campbell said his squad knew what it showed on the field could sway a buyer.

“The girls really understand that they’re important in regard to ensuring that the people that are looking to buy the club, or considering buying the club, recognise that it’s viable,” he said.

“There’s definitely a future in not only what the girls are doing, but also the men.

Proving a point

Today’s players don’t know if they’ll be pulling on a gold kit next season, but that hasn’t distracted them from the real task ahead.

This is the furthest Newcastle has ever progressed in an A-League women’s finals campaign.

“Every time I get interviewed about different things or milestones, I always go back to that I want a trophy,” Davis said.

More important than a title, arguably, is the point the team has to prove — that it can draw a crowd and that the club is crucial to women’s sport in the region.