Storm causes A-League chaos as Canberra clash abandoned in first half

The scene was getting darker by the second when a storm forced play to be abandoned in Canberra United's A-League Women's game against Sydney FC at McKellar Park on Saturday.

Nearby lightning and thunder forced players to leave the field twice throughout the game before play was abandoned with scores locked at 0-0, with officials citing lightning strikes, the condition of the pitch, and player welfare.

The game did not reach half-time, so officials are now working to reschedule the game.

Players first left the field in the 14th minute - even while the sun was still shining from behind the grandstand, with a storm closing in on the Belconnen venue.

Play stopped for about 47 minutes before resuming at 6.03pm - and while the players waited in the change rooms for almost the entire time, the storm never swept through McKellar Park.

But soon after the players returned to the field, the heavens opened.

Play was stopped again later in the first half, as fans deserted the hill to either find space under the grandstand or jump in the car and head home to escape the conditions before officials opted to cancel the fixture.

Safe to say new Capital Football chief executive Samantha Farrow's first Canberra United game was a chaotic one as she seeks clarity on Canberra's hopes of entering the A-League Men's competition next October.

Capital Football holds the licence to Canberra United - but the landscape will change significantly should the Australian Professional Leagues find investors for a men's team, with the women's side to come under the same umbrella as the ALM team.

However concerns are mounting about the time it is taking to strike a deal with investors, with the delay already starting to impact Canberra United's players and staff amid calls for certainty.

Drawn out talks have left some tipping the men's competition's expansion into Canberra will be put on ice for a year, with the side potentially joining the league ahead of the 2025-26 season.

Officials will need to move quickly if Canberra is to join in time for next season, given the competition newcomers would be well behind the eight ball in the player transfer market by the time the new team is up and running.

"I know there's absolutely conversations happening in the background around all of the A-League bid and bringing a men's team in, which would be amazing for the region," Farrow said on SEN's Saturdays in the Capital.

"Capital Football will always support the A-League, it's been a big part of our history with the girls and how well they're travelling. It's just a 'watch this space' at the moment and hopefully I'll have some more information when they're ready to release it."