To see all the pics from yesterday's launch...


And she hopes by kicking off the league earlier than the US pro league – which is set to kick off in 2009 - Australia will steal a march on the Americans and keep some of our best Matildas downunder.

“It's fantastic news, it's exciting. We have a great future,” she told au.fourfourtwo.com.

“Especially if this new women's A-League is affiliated with the existing men's A-League.

“I'm sure we'll all be happy rubbing shoulders.”

The Matildas have become one of Australia's most successful ever national teams with a quarter-final finish at September's World Cup.

This success came despite no national league in this country for our elite Matildas.

The stunning effort has put a number of our stars on the radar of the US pro league, including strikers Sarah Walsh and Lisa De Vanna.

“Imagine how good we could be,” asked Barbieri, “if all our best players were playing here in our own A-League?”

To see all the pics from yesterday's launch...