The launch of the W-League's ninth season in Sydney illustrated how far the sport has come.

It was very different from the one to I went to many years back, where there were only a handful of journalists.

The launch of the 2016/17 season was as professional as you can get. The room was packed with journos and sporting officials genuinely enthusiastic about promoting the upcoming season.

In his opening speech, chief executive David Gallop described it as a "lightbulb moment".

"Sports have realised that the women's game shouldn't be regarded as a silo, off to the side of the men's game," he said.

The W-League will be broadcast live in the USA this season in a major breakthrough for the women's game. ( ABC News: Brittany Carter )

The most significant announcement was that American sports broadcaster ESPN 3 will televise live W-League games in the USA.

"To hear such a massive worldwide broadcaster come on board is such a boost for the game," Matildas coach Alen Stajcic said.

His initial reaction to the news was that it was "shocking, but in a very good way".

"To think there's a level of interest in America to watch the league is brilliant for our code."

Netball still leading the way in Australia

2017 shapes up to be the most prominent year yet for women's sport in Australia, with new AFL and netball competitions joining the ranks of basketball, soccer and cricket.

But netball remains the only professional women's sport in Australia.

A new national netball league in Australia will make the game fully professional. ( AAP: Glenn Hunt )

When Netball Australia signed an historic five-year broadcast deal with Channel Nine and promised full time wages for its players, it set a benchmark for women's sport in this country.

In contrast, the WBNL is struggling after its 35-year TV deal with the ABC ended following budget cuts to the national broadcaster.

Bear in mind some of these players are in the Opals squad, the women's national basketball team, once ranked second best in the world — it currently sits in fourth.

Ten enjoyed impressive television ratings for the inaugural Women's Big Bash League, while the Matildas reached 1.2 million viewers in their four matches during the Rio qualifiers on 7mate.

However, only one W-League game a week is broadcast on free-to-air (ABC) and Fox Sports.

The chief executive of the Westfield Scentre Group, Peter Allen acknowledged the role television plays in the W-League's success.

"Without Fox Sports and the ABC, the W-League would miss the critical exposure to Australian sporting audiences and it's through this exposure the game will grow," Allen said.

Dodd encouraged by advancements

FIFA official and FFA board member Moya Dodd can see the progress.

"We're starting a long way behind but we're growing very rapidly. I think it's great to see women's sport growing," she said.

The Matildas have fast become one of the country's most beloved national teams. ( AAP: Joe Castro )

"I think people are conceiving of sporting codes now belonging to both genders, and asking why it probably didn't happen sooner."

A former Matildas vice-captain, Dodd was recently named the most influential woman at this year's 100 Women of Influence Awards for her contribution to women's sport.

She believes there's still a long way to go but acknowledges the importance of TV exposure, especially when it comes to reducing the pay gap.

"Women's sport is a much smaller business than men's sport right now," Dodd said.

"There's all sorts of reasons for that. Mainly bad ones.

"The challenge, I think for administrators and those who run the game is to see how quickly they can grow it. With the right sort of investment and confidence in the product it can grow rapidly."

'Boring' myth beginning to be busted

While women's sport remains one of continuing challenges and evolvement, the archaic mindset that women's sport is boring finally seems to be waning.

Last year, an Essential poll found 61 per cent believed that women's sports was just as exciting as men's.

Almost 70 per cent agreed the media does not pay enough attention to women's sport.

The launch of the AFL Women's will open even more doors for young girls wanting to get involved in sport. ( AAP: Julian Smith )

And perhaps that is the key to reducing the well documented pay gap between male and female athletes.

Many would agree televised exposure plays a big role in this success.

The strength and future of the women's game strongly depends on broadcast support and coverage.

But Dodd says we all have an important role to play too.

"It's for all of us to ask ourselves 'what's my role in that outcome?'," she said.

"Do I watch women's sport when it's on television? Do I go watch the games when they're on in the stadium?"

For a woman who admits she was once mocked for playing soccer, Dodd remains optimistic.

"In the end I think all boats will rise with the tide and it will normalise the presence of women in sport in the media and on the grandstand."

Perhaps Stajcic best sums it up.

"Being the father of a daughter, I'm just so glad there's so much choice there for the young girls and if there's rivalry between more codes it can only drive each sport forward."

Maybe then we can move closer to getting the pay gap sorted.

But that is a different story altogether.