The Matildas’ prowess on the soccer pitch – on display in recent days against Chile, and earlier in the year against Brazil – has steadily lifted them to the top rungs of global competition.

The women are evidently outperforming their male counterparts, adding irony to the historical insult that the men get paid more – although a big step to fix that was taken last year.

The Australian women’s netball team is also one of the most dominant in its code. These three teams have been around for decades, and are testimony to the need to invest time and resources into building international sporting success, particularly from a relatively small population.

A genuine effort is finally being made to narrow the remuneration gap. A deal was struck last year to raise the total wages of Australia’s state and international female cricketers from $7.5million over five years to $55.2million, increasing the minimum annual contract from $40,000 to almost $88,000 – still, though, less than half the average for a man wearing the same cap. The increase in salaries reflects not only skills, but commercial value.

Market forces, driven by broadcasting rights, have long been a determinant of professional sport. This has been a crucial factor in the gender pay disparity, and can be a cruel impediment to investing the time and money needed to foster women’s competitions.

That is understandable but unduly timid and short-sighted, and should be resisted by the AFL as it deliberates the future of the fledgling women’s competition.

Although popular with the public, the AFLW risks stalling unless it is given the resources by the clubs and the league to compete and grow. That would marginally reduce the money for the men’s competition, but could well have a disproportionate beneficial impact on the AFLW.

It is a sustained cultural bet worth placing.