Brisbane Roar coach Alex Smith says the transfer of Sharn Freier to German club VFL Wolfsburg shows the A-League Women has become a development league for high-paying overseas clubs.
Freier, 23, has played her last game for the Roar after suffering a season-ending injury against Perth Glory in January and will depart Brisbane for the German superclub at the end of the A-League Women season, in a move that Smith has hailed as life-changing.
"I couldn't be happier for the kid," Smith told ESPN. "She went through years of being overlooked for whatever reason. Sharn's life has just changed with the contract she has signed."
Data from Professional Footballers Australia shows that women aged between 17 and 24 accounted for 68% of total minutes played during the 2023-24 A-League Women season -- a rise of 22% from 2019-20. Smith said Freier is one of many young Australians who are taking advantage of the sharp decrease in average age of players in the league.
"It's the most significant thing to have happened to the league," Smith said. "When I was at Melbourne City as an assistant manager five years ago, the average age was almost 28. Now it hovers around 22 or 23.
"After we won that championship, England and America started going full-time ... we had seven or eight Matildas. Most, if not all these players left the next year."
With 20-year-old Western United forward Kahli Johnson leading the goal-scoring charts, followed by Western Sydney Wanderers young gun Sienna Saveska, 18, the league has filled the gap left by departing stars with up-and-coming players.
Smith said the situation would ultimately help the national team.
"Because the league is so young, we are becoming a breeding ground for the next Matildas," he said.
"[It] has led to managers looking to the NPL [National Premier League] to find players in the country who are ready to play [at a higher level].
"Until we go full-time, this is the outlook for the league.
"I don't think it's a bad thing -- it's an opportunity for young players like Sharn Freier to be seen and get moves overseas."
Smith's sentiments were echoed by Brisbane Roar captain Tameka Yallop, who also left the club as a youngster to pursue opportunities at foreign clubs.
"Going to overseas leagues shaped me as the utility player I am," Yallop said. "Sharn's ready for the challenge and we have other Aussies doing the same. Once they come back, they are better players."
Yallop believes the domestic league is on the right path to one day becoming fully professional.
"We have a full home-and-away season now," she said. "If we continue to develop the professionalism, you will see Matildas and other international players returning."