Poletti 
Bulls FC Academy lift the NPL Women's NSW trophy following it's 4-3 win over APIA Leichhardt at Jubilee Stadium. Photo: Poletti/Round Ball Australia
For clubs with academy sides, there is usually a delicate balance to be met. On one hand, you have the player development aspect, so the players can step up and make a seamless transition into the first team. On the other hand, you also want the side to be somewhat competitive, which is usually hard to do when teenagers are playing against adults.
For Macarthur FC, that situation is different because they do not currently have a senior side in the A-League Women (ALW).
The “academy” side is currently their senior side, and following their NPL Women’s NSW Grand Final win over APIA Leichhardt, the discussion once again turned to when they would have an ALW side.
In a 2023 interview, Macarthur FC CEO Sam Krslovic said that the timeline for Macarthur’s ALW team was 2026.
That appears to have been pushed back, with a Macarthur FC spokesperson telling Round Ball Australia that the club is currently in the same position as Auckland FC in regards to their women’s team.
It was announced recently that Auckland’s entry into the ALW would be delayed until the 2027/28 season, with the spokesperson confirming the statement meant that Macarthur FC is aiming to have an ALW team for the 2027/28 season.
In that same 2023 interview, Krslovic also said that one of the big delays of the ALW team was not having the facilities to suit a professional women’s team, a problem which extends to Macarthur’s A-League Men side, who train at Fairfield Showground.
Those facilities include the clubs much vaunted Centre of Excellence, which has yet to begin construction more than five years after the 42-acre plot of land was purchased in Cawdor, located approximately 20 kilometres away from Campbelltown Sports Stadium. That, however, is set to change.
The club spokesperson also said that the club has recently received stage construction approval for the facility, and that earthworks will commence soon. The club is also hopeful of government funding to help speed up the construction process.
When the facility is built, it will bring Macarthur FC to the same level as the other two Sydney teams, Sydney FC and the Western Sydney Wanderers, in terms of facilities, who have Sky Park and Wanderers Football Park respectively.
With the club set to begin their Asian Champions League 2 campaign this week, as Macarthur prepares for its sixth season, it is welcome news that things appear to be moving in the right direction.
Listen to the latest episode of The Dubcast, Round Ball Australia’s Women’s Football podcast on Spotify, Apple, or watch on YouTube, with new episodes every Wednesday.