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The uncertain fate of Canberra's only professional football outfit is being spoken about in news headlines and in local coffee shops.
The chatter, which has been building for a while, reached a crescendo when Canberra United flagged it might not survive beyond this season.
That's despite the "Matildas effect" still playing out across Australian football clubs.
So, what's going on with the national capital's A-League Women side?
Who's in charge?
Capital Football is the ACT's governing body for football, running local competitions from the junior leagues to the National Premier Leagues.
Capital Football is also responsible for Canberra United.
More than 15,000 Canberrans are involved across the different levels, making football the ACT's biggest participation sport.
Most of Capital Football's funding comes from registrations but the ACT government also chips in.
Capital Football chief executive Samantha Farrow took on the top job in February after the organisation's former boss, Ivan Slavich, quit over a board decision to scrap the Canberra United Academy pathway program and teams.
But that's another story.
Why is Canberra United at risk of folding?
Capital Football is the only state or territory organisation that runs its own A-League Women side, and it has done so since the 2008 inaugural women's season — that's 16 years ago.
The other 11 A-League Women clubs are privately owned by shareholders and consortiums that run the teams alongside an A-League Men outfit.
When the A-League Women competition began in 2008, formerly known as the W-League, it had eight teams, and the regular season ran over 10 rounds.
Today, the competition has 12 teams and 22 games, with the number of games almost doubling since the 2020-21 season.
Capital Football said that expansion had "considerably raised the cost of running a full-time professional side" and had put "significant pressure" on its financial standing.
Ms Farrow said Capital Football had pumped more than $2.5 million into Canberra United over the past two seasons and had doubled the club's annual budget since 2020-21.
But Capital Football's finances haven't been in great shape.
At the end of 2022, the organisation reported a deficit of more than $850,000.
Its annual report pointed to the financial impact of COVID-19, investment in specific growth opportunities, and unforeseen costs as the reasons why the organisation was so far in the red.
Capital Football's 2023 annual report is expected to show another deficit, but the organisation has not yet released last year's numbers.
Basically, Capital Football needs financial help.
Earlier this week, Ms Farrow released a statement addressing Canberra United's future.
"We are aware developments are at a critical stage and conscious that players, coaches and supporters want clarity, as do we," Ms Farrow said.
"Capital Football continues to explore all avenues to ensure that Canberra United take the field for season 17, seeking new sources of investment," she said.
It's important to stress that Capital Football's dire financial situation is not a reflection on the popularity of the team itself.
Canberra United is seeing its best crowds and membership numbers.
The star power of the league's greatest ever striker Michelle Heyman is surely a drawcard.
Would it help if Canberra got an A-League men's team?
Yes and no.
If Canberra introduced an A-League Men side, it would help to sustain the presence of elite football in the region.
But it would also see current costs balloon.
There have been several bids for a Canberra men's team, most recently in March last year.
And the Australian Premier League (APL) has named Auckland and Canberra as the next cities in line for a men's team ahead of the 2024-25 season.
Canberra's bid is directed by Michael Caggiano, who was also the face of unsuccessful bids in 2018 and 2020.
Mr Caggiano's job was to find an investor to fund the licence by June last year but, as far as anyone knows, his efforts have been unsuccessful.
The Canberra public is still in the dark about where the A-League men's bid is at.
ACT Sport Minister Yvette Berry says a prospective men's team would need to be viable alongside Canberra United.
"We support a men's league team in the ACT … however, it cannot be at the expense of a women's league team," Ms Berry said.
In March last year, APL chief executive Danny Townsend confirmed as part of negotiations that the APL would discuss uncoupling the club from Capital Football and turning it into a private enterprise like all the other women's clubs.
Ms Farrow said the government had offered a 50 per cent advance payment of their existing annual funding to help with Canberra United's running costs.
To begin this season, the ACT government doubled Capital Football's funding to $250,000 per year across a two-year agreement.
Ms Berry insists she's doing everything in her power to help.
"[The players] are in a situation where they can't speak out for fear of upsetting their existing team and players or future team or players," Ms Berry said.
"I'm very concerned and I feel very frustrated for [the players] and I guess that's why I'm trying to do everything I can to ensure certainty for their professional careers now and into the future," she said.
"Would this happen with the Raiders and the Brumbies? I don't know, I don't think it would," she added.
What’s next for the players and coach?
The short answer is that nobody knows yet.
Canberra United Head Coach Njegosh Popovich said he and the players would like to see the uncertainty resolved.
He told ABC Radio Canberra on Thursday it was out of his control for the moment.
“I went and bought a lottery ticket this morning … I’m hoping I can pick up a Powerball tonight and all our problems can be solved,” he said.
“But you know, it is what it is.”
He admitted the players and staff “wouldn’t be human” if they weren’t thinking about their futures at this stage and acknowledged the calibre of the players in the team would attract interest from other clubs.
“[Canberra] definitely has a strong place in my heart. Being born and bred Canberran … and Canberra United has such a rich history,” Mr Popovich said.
“I think that most of the local players, in particular, have that same sort of feeling and even the girls that have come in from interstate, they owe the club gratitude for being able to get the opportunity to play.”
Has a women's football team folded before?
Yes.
The Central Coast Mariners pulled out of the 2010-11 season for financial reasons.
The side has rejoined the league this season after financial backing from a network of insurance brokers, but that came after more than 10 years out in the cold.
It's hoped that's not the story for Canberra United.