Outgoing Canberra United import Kaleigh Kurtz has called on officials to extend the W-League or risk seeing it fall behind its international counterparts.
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Kurtz is heading home to the United States for the NWSL season having claimed Canberra's player of the year award on Thursday.
The 25-year-old would consider a W-League return but says the prospect of rejoining Canberra is "a loaded question".
Kurtz says a stint with Canberra allowed her to rediscover her confidence but changes need to be made to strengthen the league.
"Make the season longer, make it more competitive. If you extend the W-League season and you are able to get more internationals in, then it would definitely help," Kurtz said.
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"Some teams, you can tell they have a little more money, so they're able to spend money on the bigger players and bigger names. Some don't, so it's 'who can you get from your academy?'
"If I'm being brutally honest, [top W-League teams] would be on the lower end of the spectrum of the NWSL.
"It stands out with the internationals that are here, we're typically able to make a name for ourselves in this league, and it's not always an opportunity we have in the United States.
"This is more of a developmental [league] for most players."
Caden Helmers
Caden Helmers is a sports journalist for The Canberra Times.
Caden Helmers is a sports journalist for The Canberra Times.
