Technical infrastructure, opportunity, coach education, media deals and, crucially, economics - in the shape of bigger pay packets - are major factors that ensure one country's league is bigger and more attractive than another's. And that then creates its own global soccer ecosystem in which some countries and leagues are effectively giant research and development laboratories, where talent is honed and nurtured before being sold on to the major leagues of western Europe who occupy the top positions on the global standings. In men's soccer it is countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Croatia, Portugal, France and a plethora of African and other South American nations who provide a deep pool of talent that is sucked up by the big leagues in England, Spain, Italy and Germany. Loading In women's soccer the R&D pool is wider and shallower, with many more countries producing a handful of top players.

In recent years the majority of the best players have drifted from their home leagues to the United States, where they find the chance to make a living from their chosen sport in the NWSL, a competition that gives players 24 home-and-away season games, plus finals, and runs from April to October. For Australian players that has been the perfect set-up as it has given them the chance to earn a decent wage in North America before returning home to play in the W-League, which runs from November to March, topping up their earnings and staying match fit in the off-season. It has also meant that the best-known names in the Matildas have been able to play in their home market, at least for some of the year, helping boost the profile of the national team and the women's game in general. But, just like politics and economics, the sporting world never remains static. And the rise of the European leagues - a relatively recent phenomenon - means that the W-League faces the prospect of having to reinvent itself as increasing numbers of its best-known names shift their focus from the US/Australia tandem to leagues in England and the continent.

Players such as Sam Kerr, Caitlin Foord, Chloe Logarzo and Haley Raso have already moved to the English Women's Super League. Loading Melbourne City's Steph Catley and Ellie Carpenter are expected to join them in England or in Europe at some point in the not-too-distant future while the teenage starlet Mary Fowler is reported to be joining Montpellier in France. Emily Gielnik is already at Bayern Munich, while veteran Lisa De Vanna is still banging in goals for Fiorentina in Italy. Much recent commentary has focused on how negative it is for the W-League, how it will stymie its growth and make it a less attractive vehicle for sponsors and media companies if it is shorn of its stars. In the short term it might take a hit, but the reality is that in the global soccer ecosystem Australia is part of the R&D process.

In women's, as in men's, soccer it is effectively a development league, a place where bright young talents are given (or should be) a chance to show what they can do at an early age. If they are good enough they can be drafted into national team camps, and if they make it with the Matildas then they will be good enough to make a full-time living and improve their game still further in bigger foreign leagues. While the W-League remains as short as it is who can blame them: no professional wants to have a 12-game season as the pinnacle of their career. But it's not all doom and gloom. The absence of the big names does provide opportunity for younger players and those who have been denied the chance to play regularly at first-team level the chance to come through and improve.

The "next Sam Kerr" in Fowler might be on the move to Europe while still a teen, but who knows, the next Fowler may be waiting in the wings and desperate to get her chance - a chance that might come sooner rather than later if the trend for big-name Matildas to bypass the domestic competition continues in future seasons.