Why are Australians thriving in WSL but not Premier League?

The Premier League used to feature plenty of Australian talent.

Mark Schwarzer played 514 Premier League games – more than any of his compatriots – while Lucas Neill, Harry Kewell, Brett Emerton, Tim Cahill, Mark Viduka, Mark Bosnich, Mat Ryan, Aaron Mooy and Mile Jedinak all established themselves in England's top flight.

But while there are a number of Australians in the men's Championship, the Premier League has just one representative.

Lucas Herrington, 18, recently joined promoted Hull City from Colorado Rapids in a deal believed to be worth about £17m including add-ons., external

The picture is very different in the Women's Super League.

There are 13 Australians across eight clubs, including three at Arsenal and three at promoted Charlton Athletic.

So why has England's top women's division become a magnet for Australian players, while the path to the Premier League has become less well-trodden?

Matildas head coach Joe Montemurro suggests one factor is that more men's players are staying in Australia.

So while there are still Australians coming to England to play - such as Portsmouth's Hayden Matthews and Thomas Waddingham, Norwich's Mohamed Toure, Middlesbrough's Riley McGree and Blackburn's Lewis Miller, Montemurro suggests that many more who might have made the long trip are now choosing the A-League instead.

"I think the establishment of the men's professional league in Australia [in 2004] is a reason for a lot of players to stay - they are quite happy to be professionals within their own country," Montemurro told BBC Sport.

"Also, there has been a lot of development in African and Asian countries which has likely widened the net of talent, which means clubs may look elsewhere."

Montemurro thinks the introduction of the WSL second division has probably helped more female Australian footballers play in England.

"The growth of the game in England in club professionalism and with the expansion of WSL to include a second tier [WSL 2] has contributed to more female Australians playing in England," he said.

There are four Australian players in WSL 2 - Alexia Apostolakis (Bristol City), Rachel Lowe (Durham), Kaitlyn Torpey (Newcastle) and Alana Murphy (Nottingham Forest).