WWC 2023 Chief Operating Officer Jane Fernandez: “The Women’s World Cup is arriving at a significant turning point in Australian football”

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Fernandez

With just over a year until the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 kicks off at New Zealand’s Eden Park on July 20, Soccerscene chatted with a major driving force behind the tournament’s arrival on Australian shores, Jane Fernandez.

Fernandez, the Chief Operating Officer (Australia) of the Women’s World Cup 2023 team, spoke about the organisation of the tournament in the lead-in, the projected impact of the WWC 2023 on women’s football, and why Australia’s multicultural makeup is essential to bringing the tournament to life.

What has the organisation of the tournament been like in the lead-in to it? What is the day-to-day process like for you?

Jane Fernandez: It’s been really exciting and also hugely challenging setting up a local FIFA subsidiary in a COVID environment. We basically built a group on Teams, so it’s now fantastic that we’re at this phase where we’re all coming back into the office and can all work and talk together face-to-face.

It’s a huge honour to be a part of a start-up – which is what we are – across Australia and New Zealand. We’ve now hit a staffing number of close to 140 across the two countries, so there’s constant recruitment and building the team and foundations to make sure that we’re set up for success. It’s been hugely rewarding, and I think we’ve built a team of amazing professionals who are not only experienced in what they do, but hugely passionate about the FIFA Women’s World Cup and what it can do. That’s the culture that we’ve created here and it’s a real honour to be part of it.

What has it been like for the FWWC2023 team to interact with governing bodies and other sporting codes to collaborate on the bidding and organising process?

Jane Fernandez: Well, all of those discussions really started during the bidding phase – I started working on this project back in 2017 and it feels like a lifetime ago. At that point in time, it was a lot of discussions with key stakeholders, and all of our governments (state and federal). We could not be hosting this tournament without the support of governments and it was the federal government that supported our wish to bid when I was working for Football Australia back then.

During the bidding process we also got the other codes to work together because we have fantastic infrastructure in Australia and we want to make sure there’s room for everyone, which is what we’ve been able to achieve. So, that commitment and collaborating on scheduling was a really important part of the bidding process and pleasingly we were able to achieve that.

The WWC 2023 arrives at a crux moment in the fight for gender equality in football. How important is it in promoting women’s football?

Jane Fernandez: I think sport and football has the potential to be a catalyst for change, and I think we’re all very aware of that with the responsibility that we all hold in that space. FIFA developed a women’s football strategy a number of years ago and the development of the women’s game is front of mind for everyone in Zurich and also here and in New Zealand as well. FIFA has contributed and committed one billion dollars to the development of the women’s game for the cycle leading up to next year’s World Cup here.

We’re looking forward to building the foundations and making sure that we’re growing female leaders throughout all levels of our game, making sure that we’re increasing participation with that fantastic target of 60 million women and girls playing football by 2026. And of course, for the first-time ever, developing a standalone commercial platform which is incredibly important to ensure we develop the commercial sustainability of the women’s game. This is the first time that this has ever happened, and we announced Xero as a partner for that platform not long ago. So, we’re really excited and this is a real momentum shift in where we want to take the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Matildas

What are the strategies that the FWWC2023 team has in place to leave a sporting legacy behind after the tournament?

Jane Fernandez: During the bid, legacy was always the first thought – never the afterthought. And we’ve continued that as we’ve gone forward. Globally, as I mentioned, FIFA have the women’s football strategy with those clear targets that have been articulated and are starting to be delivered upon which is fantastic. The development and education of females right goes through all levels of the game – from refereeing, coaching, administration, leadership and of course players as well. Globally, FIFA are really driving that.

And then we think about the Asian Football Confederation and Oceania as well. For the first time, this will be the first tournament that is delivered over two confederations, which is hugely exciting because the potential for growth and the opportunity is just huge. So, both AFC and OFC are working together on their legacy plans and what they want to achieve from hosting the Women’s World Cup in their region for the first time. So, this cross-communication and collaboration is just fantastic.

And then we think domestically where Football Australia and New Zealand Football are developing amazing domestic legacy plans. In Australia – led by Football Australia with James Johnson as the CEO – we have Sarah Walsh, Mark Falvo, Peter Filopoulos and their respective teams as well who are really driving the Legacy ’23 plan nationally and working closely with all Member Federations. A number of these elements were front of mind during the bid, so of course participation is absolutely of paramount importance to achieve the target of 50-50 by 2027. But you can’t have that without infrastructure investment, and it was pleasing to see the success that Football Australia’s #Equaliser campaign had recently, ahead of the Federal elections to address the lack of female friendly facilities as we strive towards our 50-50 target.

What’s also important is investment into training sites, which is something that we are working with Football Australia on. We’ve already announced our first tranche of training sites with more to be announced. This is the first Women’s World Cup where there’ll be a base camp model, which from a legacy perspective is hugely important because it means greater investment into facilities right across the country.

There’s obviously the leadership pillar as part of Football Australia’s Legacy ’23 plan and making sure that we are developing female leaders, and we are doing that through the local FIFA subsidiary as well. There’s also the high-performance pillar which Football Australia is committed to with developing female players. And last but not least, there’s the international relations and tourism pillar. There’s no better way to remind the world that Australia is open for business than hosting the biggest-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup on our shores.

Legacy is always front of mind, definitely never the afterthought, and we’re all working hand-in-hand which is exactly one of the core values of the FIFA Women’s World Cup – which is about collaboration and is about team, and inclusion. It’s really important that we’re all working together to deliver these unbelievable outcomes.

It feels like the 2023 Women’s World Cup is arriving at a significant turning point in Australian football with the sport recently undergoing some rebranding and turnover of control.

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What do you envision the impact of this newly introduced base camp model bringing for the 2023 Women’s World Cup?

Jane Fernandez: I’ve been to a number of men’s World Cups and I went to the Women’s World Cup in France, but I remember the first World Cup that I went to was in Germany when the Socceroos finally qualified. The Socceroos set a base camp in a little town called Erlangen, and it was this unbelievable little town, but seeing the power of a World Cup and what it can do with these smaller communities is something that really excites me.

Because while we’re going through the process at the moment of identifying the base camps, I can already see how some of these areas and suburbs (that might not be hosting games but will host teams) will come alive and really inspire young girls and boys to put on their boots, to play football and be a part of this amazing community. The opportunity is just huge.

With Australia being the multicultural country that it is, are you excited to see the nation come together for one massive tournament?

Jane Fernandez: Our multicultural nation is a really important factor for us, and we did this really well during the Asian Cup in 2015. It’s something we will also do extremely well during the FIFA Women’s World Cup, and that’s engaging with all of these different communities right around the country who will basically create a home away from home for every team that’s coming here. So again, it’s another really exciting opportunity that we are working on at the moment.

Asian Cup 2015

To receive information on how to apply for FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™ tickets click here.

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Gold Coast International drives futsal growth as international interest surges

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Image Credits: Experience Gold Coast

The 2027 Gold Coast International is set to be the biggest year of growth in the tournament’s history. The tournament has become one of Australia’s premier futsal events. Attracting the best teams from not just Australia but around the world. Andrew Parkes is the founder and managing director of the Gold Coast City Futsal Association and an advisory board member at Football Queensland. He says the tournament, and its international reputation, is only strengthening.

“Registrations are actually a step up from what they were last year,” Parkes said.

“We’ve got several teams from New Zealand. At the moment, we’ve got some Pacific Island teams that have expressed interest in coming. We got interest from Japan, and from England as well.

“We’ve got over 140 teams so far, and that’s not including anything from the local areas.”

Over 200 teams attended the 2026 edition, and the Gold Coast International is well set to break that record next year. The figures show the tournament is becoming more than a local competition. It is building a strong national and international presence.

Football Queensland and Football Australia unite behind growth

Parkes believes collaboration has played a major role in the development of futsal in Queensland. The tournament is sanctioned by both Football Queensland and Football Australia. He praised Football Queensland for its work across the sport. He said the organisation has helped create a stronger and more professional futsal system. This relationship between state and national bodies and the event has allowed the Gold Coast to play host to the national competition as well. This ensures shared resources including referees and courts.

“Football Queensland have been a major driving force and a godsend in relation to the development of futsal,” Parkes said.

“We’ve got the nationals the week before the Gold Coast International now. We’re working in harmony and synergy and supporting each other.

“I think the proofs in the pudding, not just with the Gold Coast International, but with the exposure and obviously the diversity of teams that attend. But then the further development in our local leagues, and that’s resulted in.”

E-sports adds another pathway for players and clubs

E-sports has become another major part of the Gold Coast International. Parkes said he had explored the idea for several years and that the tournament allows the community to grow beyond just the physical players on the court. The use of e-sports also allows friends and families to have an interactive experience with simulators and games whilst at the Gold Coast International.

“We launched e-sports about 2 years ago, just with a bit of a light feel. We’ve incorporated the competition into the tournament fees, which is excellent. So it doesn’t cost anybody anymore to be part of it,” Parkes said.

“It actually allows the clubs and academies to extend on their current offerings as it is at the moment and allows gaming players to be part of the club, to be part of the atmosphere and to join and that unity and be part of that sporting community.”

“We had three times the amount of teams that we had from the first year of e-sports. We’re looking to probably even double that again this year, which is really exciting as well.”

New pathways shape the tournament’s future

Parkes wants the Gold Coast International to keep expanding. He is now looking at ways to create pathways beyond the tournament itself. He said the use of its international experiences that can be earned through the tournament is not only about investing in players. But ensuring coaches have a more time-efficient avenue to be involved with futsal. It also gives more coaches the chance to work with players at an international tournament.

“We’ve now created the Gold Coast International All Stars, which is now embraced by many of the coaches and the players,” Parkes said.

“That also provides coaches who don’t have the time or the ability or whatever for the state teams, and the commitment that they need to put in the state teams throughout the year.”

“It allows us to have a lot more outreach to far more coaches that have a lot of passion and enthusiasm, and be part of the Futsal community. They want to build on the players’ abilities but may not have that year-long or eight-month-long exposure that is required by the state Futsal team coaching staff.”

For Parkes, the future is about widening access while continuing to raise standards. The tournament is growing its international reach, strengthening partnerships and creating new opportunities for both physical and e-sports players. The Gold Coast International is no longer just a tournament. It is becoming a broader platform for the development of futsal and its wider community.

For more information on the Gold Coast International and to inquire about competing in the 2027 edition, visit their website.

The Spreadsheet Is Dead: Majestri’s Fix for How Clubs Actually Assess Players

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If you’ve ever sat through a club’s end-of-season review, you’ll know the drill. A coach pulls out a folder of notes, someone half-remembers what a player was like back in Round 3 and a parent quietly wonders what they actually got for their rego fees beyond a team photo. Football club platform Majestri says it has a fix for that, and it’s built directly into its Player Assessment module.

Why clubs bother assessing players in the first place

According to Majestri, clubs run player assessments for one of three reasons – usually more than one at once. Some are chasing genuine development, using the data to lift the level across their high-performance squads. Others are after a fairer way to pick teams, putting every player on the same measurable scale so selection is based on evidence rather than a coach’s gut feel about who “looks the part.” And for clubs operating under a Football Australia or state federation licence, assessments at set intervals often aren’t optional – they’re a compliance requirement, with the paperwork to prove it when asked.

Whatever the motivation, Majestri’s pitch is the same: don’t let that assessment data die in a spreadsheet on someone’s laptop.

Build your own assessment, your way

There’s no one-size-fits-all template here. The Assessment Designer lets technical directors set their own criteria, sort them into whatever categories their coaching staff already use – think core skills, possession, defending, attacking – and decide what each point on the rating scale actually means. Crucially, every criterion also gets a comment field, because a bare number rarely tells the full story of a player’s development.

The Assessment Module Builder for an NPL Juniors assessment
The Assessment Module Builder, showing an NPL Juniors assessment with a 1-10 rating scale banded from under performing through to excelling and role-specific criteria grouped into core skills, possession, defending and attacking. Source: Majestri.

Build it once and it’s reusable every time that assessment cycle comes around, so every player and every coach – is working off the same yardstick.

Something for the parents to actually take home

One of the more relatable pain points Majestri is targeting: most families never see much tangible return from a season of fees beyond a team photo. Player Assessment addresses that with report cards – colour-coded against the same scale coaches used, grouped by category with averages calculated automatically, and delivered as a PDF or an interactive web page a parent can read without needing a coaching badge themselves.

A player report card for an under-15 player
A report card for an under-15 player, colour-coded from under performing to excelling, with a score for every criterion and a group average across core skills, possession, defending and attacking. Source: Majestri.

 

Turning the numbers into something useful

The real value, though, sits in what Majestri calls the Player Analysis Lab. This is where clubs can plot a player against their team-mates or an entire age group across two categories at once, spotting clusters and outliers at a glance. Every score gets read against the group average – so a “7” actually means something in context – and clubs can report at the broad category level or drill into individual fields underneath. The results can be filtered down and exported for selection meetings or grading purposes.

The Player Analysis Lab comparing players in an under-15 and under-16 squad
The Player Analysis Lab comparing seven players across under-15 and under-16 squads, with a scatter plot, a sortable table of scores against the player average, and controls for choosing which categories and fields to report on. Source: Majestri.

The admin side nobody enjoys, made easier

Beyond the flashy analytics, there’s a practical layer built for the volunteers actually running the process:

  • Sweep monitoring – a quick view of which assessments are done and which are still outstanding, organised into defined assessment periods so progress can be tracked against peers.
  • Individual development plans – every player gets a personalised plan, and clubs can group common improvement areas to run cross-team training sessions that lift the whole club rather than just one squad.
  • Access control – coaches and technical staff can only see assessments for the teams they’re responsible for, and completed assessments are only visible to people linked to that player’s registration.
“Hard numbers to draw on when you review coaching staff and curriculum – and something tangible for the players and parents who pay the fees.” – Majestri

 

The bigger picture

Majestri frames all of this as sitting on top of the club’s own data – assessment results live on each player’s profile inside the platform rather than in a spreadsheet that walks out the door when a technical director moves on. For committees, it also means hard numbers to lean on when reviewing coaching staff or curriculum, rather than relying on anecdote.

It’s a fairly clear read on where club administration software is heading: less about digitising paperwork for its own sake, and more about making the data clubs already collect actually work for player development, team selection and compliance  without adding to the workload of the volunteers who run the show.

For more information on Majestri’s Player Assessment module, visit majestri.com.au/player-assessment.

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