Deans took charge of the Jets’ female team in July 2015 and recently attended a Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) meeting last week with 11 other W-League club staff members to discuss their roadmap, which includes increasing wages and standards in women’s football down under.

Deans spoke of the danger of the W-League losing players to other sports, as three footballers currently feature in the AFLW. It includes two Canberra United teammates who are rotating codes - current W-League co-captain Ellie Brush of GWS Giants and Jenna McCormick of Adelaide Crows.

Former Matildas, Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City goalkeeper Brianna Davey is now with Carlton in AFLW. Deans drew from his own experience after losing goalkeeper Hannah Southwell to Rugby Union as an example as to why the PFA’s vision is important.

“They (Union) gave Hannah an opportunity I couldn’t give her in terms of the financial side of the game and being a full-time professional which I couldn’t compete with,” Deans told FourFourTwo.

“We’ve had a 10-year head-start on the AFL and we need to make sure we don’t sit still now and we push ourselves back to the front of women’s sport.

“We’ve got the bonus of being a world game and opportunities to travel the world and compete at World Cups, Olympics and Champions League - something the other codes don’t so we need to use that to our advantage.

“You generally don’t see AFL at all in Newcastle unless you go looking for it, but it’s been really noticeable in social media, newspaper, radio and television that the AFL women’s league is out there.”

Hannah Southwell became the youngest W-League goalkeeper at the age of 15 in 2014

The PFA’s roadmap includes emphasis on increasing Australian female player’s wages and club standards which would ultimately produce better players for the national team.

Deans also urged for a proactive mentality by clubs and the federation.

“It is disappointing to lose players but that’s the challenge and I don’t think we should see each other as threats,” he said.

“I think we can coexist and it’s just a matter of others doing what we do to the best of our ability as a code.”

Deans said it was important to have international players frequently coming into both the W-League and A-League which would improve the quality of local players.

He spoke of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in the US which has seen a total of 15 high-profile Australians play in the American top tier.

Members of PFA and W-League staff discussed the roadmap at Etihad Stadium last week

“I think the NWSL and quality of football and competitiveness of the competition is probably No.1 in the world and I can only speak for my experience with the American girls who have come here,” Deans said.

“The qualities of players we bring out have been something that’s been positive for our club. We have a lot of young girls from Newcastle and to bring international girls out here and show our local players what is required to be a top player in a top league like the American league.

“I think they’re invaluable for the W-League. Every single one of them that has come here, to Newcastle anyway, has contributed in a positive way.”

PFA’s key recommendations:

  • The ‘60 @ 60’ strategy - a collective bargaining agreement to provide the top 60 players in the league a minimum of $60,000 a year
  • A PFA-developed National Women’s Football Network to fund flexible employment for players within the football industry
  • FFA to distribute at least $175,000 a year to cover W-League player payments with clubs to generate $385,000 annually from aligned programs and properties
  • Appointment of an advocate to promote greater distribution of revenues for teams and players participating in the FIFA Women’s World Cup