After the unprecedented boost of the Women's World Cup, it's crunch time for the A-League Women.
Australia's top domestic competition has expanded to 12 teams, with the Central Coast Mariners returning to the ALW for its first season after the record-breaking tournament on home soil.
For the first time, the ALW will contest a 22-round home-and-away season, with a top-six finish guaranteeing a finals spot.
Several Matildas have returned to the league, while World Cup shootout hero Cortnee Vine turned down offers from elsewhere to stay at Sydney FC.
After the World Cup drew sellout crowds and the Matildas smashed TV ratings, players and administrators are adamant it is time for the ALW to get its time in the sun.
"It's perfect timing for the league to strike while the iron is hot and basically continue that momentum through the season," Matildas striker and Central Coast recruit Kyah Simon said.
"Hopefully it's not 'one and done' and women's football is here to stay this season and beyond."
The players are prepared to do their part.
Western United defender Alana Cerne, a breakout star of last season, expects the league to grow.
"It's going to be bigger and better than ever," she told AAP.
"There's a few Matildas players that are coming back into the league.
"It's very important that we also get the crowds to support it, but you can already see that clubs are better than last year."
Melbourne Victory moving to the 'Home of the Matildas' facility in Bundoora has helped attract more talent.
The club hopes it will deliver sellout crowds too, off the back of massive membership take-up.
"After the World Cup you've seen pretty much every club has broken their membership records," Victory recruit Jamilla Rankin told AAP.
"We're looking to just help grow women's football in Australia and this is the right time to do it.
"We've got the momentum and we just need to keep it going and keep pushing it further and further."
The World Cup delivered a shot in the arm for women's football but league bosses understand that surge of interest guarantees nothing.
"Sustaining that type of thing is never possible," Danny Townsend, chief executive of the Australian Professional Leagues, said.
"What we're going to see is a nice bounce. Our job is to try and maintain that for as long as we can.
"We'll continue to build on it as the seasons go by, particularly in the women's game.
"(The women's competition is) relatively nascent in its professionalism, we've invested heavily in it."
Ensuring top-quality pitches and fan-friendly kick-off times will be crucial to garnering interest, while every game is already streamed live and free via broadcast partners Channel Ten and Paramount.
"More teams, more matches have broadcast coverage so that's going to yield better results over time," Townsend said.
"The way we're going about it, ensuring that everything's free (to watch) from a female perspective last year was an important step for us."
