Canberra United preparing for a 'normal' W-League season

The W-League was finally given a starting date on Thursday, with the competition to launch alongside the A-League on December 27.

Football Federation Australia has given no indication of whether the elite competitions will take place within a hub, nor if players will need to enter a COVID-safe bubble.

The Women's Big Bash League and Women's National Basketball League have committed to playing their entire seasons in hubs, with the Canberra Capitals to launch their title defence in Queensland.

The W-League fixture will be released early next month, with United preparing for a normal season with interstate travel.

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"That hasn't come up to my knowledge at my level, but there may be internal discussions about that," Linton said.

"At the moment, we're planning on a normal season and travelling.

"I think there'll still be limitations around [matches], that may change as we go along and restrictions might lift.

"Hopefully we can get some fans - it might not be at full capacity but it's great to be able to get everyone out and watching some games."

Now there's a W-League kick-off date, Linton can start finalising her playing roster and pre-season program.

"Obviously, there's a lot to do now but it's really good to have a date we can work from and get things going," she said.

"We're now going to be able to solidify things with contracts and once we do that, we can round out the squad."

Meanwhile Matildas defender Karly Roestbakken has signed a two-year contract extension with Norwegian club LSK Kvinner, keeping her in Europe until at least 2022.

The Norwegian Toppserien usually runs from April to November, meaning Roestbakken could return to the W-League between seasons.

The Canberran is yet to commit to a W-League club for 2020-21.