Australia’s bid for 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup gets the support it needs

Liam Watson

Australia is considering themselves as a contender to host the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and with commitment already made towards the cause, we could be seeing some of the world’s best in our own country.

Football Federation Australia (FFA) has given praise to the Queensland government after they put their hand up to commit towards the bid to get the FIFA Women’s World Cup here in Australia.

Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane would be the main venue that would host several matches being played throughout the tournament.

The New South Wales Government has also given their support for this bid, and it is sure to encourage other states to lend and continue their support.

FFA has already received $5 million in funds from the Australian Government in preparation for the bid, showing that there is some keen interest to getting a major tournament down under.

FFA Chief Executive David Gallop gave the Queensland government credit.

“We are thrilled to have the support of the Queensland Government.  The confirmation of this support and the inclusion of Brisbane as a proposed Host City significantly strengthens Australia’s bid, he said.

“This will secure an outstanding legacy for female sport in Queensland and Australia, powering FFA’s drive towards Gender Equality in Football.

“Suncorp Stadium is a magnificent venue of football, and the prospect of hosting World Cup matches there is an extremely exciting one for the Westfield Matildas and everyone at FFA.

Representatives from Queensland have spoken of the importance hosting these type of events.

“We want Queensland to be known as a world-class destination for major events.  Hosting World Cup teams could make Queensland the centre of attention for a massively growing global audience, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.

“It’s a big prestigious event, televised round the world and FIFA reports it attracted an audience of more than a billion during the tournament in France earlier this year.

The success of the 2019 tournament in France has led to a decision by FIFA to expand the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup to a 32-team tournament up from 24.”

“Hosting this event would be a game changer for women’s sport in our state, Queensland Minister for Tourism Industry Development Kate Jones said.

“The Matildas captured the attention of the world at this year’s World Cup in France. But there is nothing like playing on home soil.

“To give the Matildas the chance to play in Queensland would do great things to promote gender equality and encourage more women and girls into sport in our state.”

FIFA will announce the host of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in May next year.

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Project ACL: The initiative leading the way on injury research

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Image credit: FiledIMAGE / Shutterstock.com

Launched in 2024, the research project recently welcomed two US-based organisations: the National Women’s Soccer League Players Association (NWSLPA) and National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).

 

About Project ACL

Led by FIFPRO, PFA England, Nike and Leeds Beckett University, Project ACL aims to research ACL injuries and understand more about multifactorial risk factors.

After piloting in England’s Women’s Super League (WSL), Project ACL will expand to the NWSL in the US, reflecting the global importance of the project’s research and outcome.

“We are incredibly excited to bring the NWSLPA and NWSL to Project ACL,” said Director of Women’s Football at FIFPRO, Dr. Alex Culvin, via official press release.

“Overall, we believe that player-centricity and collaboration with key stakeholders are central to establishing meaningful change in the soccer ecosystem and that players, competition organisers and stakeholdersaround the world will benefit from Project ACL’s outputs and outcomes.”

Interviews with over 30 players and team surveys across all 12 WSL clubs provided the project’s research team with valuable information about current prevention strategies and available resources.

Furthermore, the project tracks player workload and busy schedule periods during the season through the FIFPRO Player Workload Monitoring tool, therefore gaining insights into the link between scheduling and injury risks.

 

Looking to the data

Project ACL’s partnerships with the WSL – and now the NWSL – are immensely valuable for the future of player welfare in women’s football.

Although ACL injuries affect both male and female athletes, they are twice as likely to occur in women than men. However, according to the NWSL, as little as 8% of sports science research focuses on female athletes.

In Australia, several CommBank Matildas suffered ACL injuries in recent years: Sam Kerr was sidelined from January 2024 to September 2025, Ellie Carpenter for 8 months after suffering the injury while playing for Olympique Lyonnais, and Holly McNamara came back from three ACL’s aged 15, 18 and 20.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. The 2025/26 ALW season saw several ACL incidents, including four in just two weeks.

 

Research, prevent, protect

Injury prevention and research are vital to sport – whether professional or amateur.

But when the numbers are so shocking – and incidents are so common – governing bodies must remember that player welfare comes above all else. Research can inform prevention strategies. Prevention means players can enjoy the game they love.

The work of Project ACL, continuing until 2027, will hopefully protect countless players across women’s football from suffering long-term or recurring injuries.

South Canberra FC Breaks the Mold: Equity-Driven Model Earns ‘Club Changer’ Honour

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Image Credit: SCFC

South Canberra Football Club has been named Club Changer of the Month for April, in a recognition that reflects a broader shift across Australian football toward rewarding clubs that are actively dismantling the structural barriers limiting women’s access to the game.

The AFC Women’s Asian Cup has just delivered record crowds and unprecedented visibility for women’s football in Australia, and the Club Changer program is now asking what comes next. Its decision to name South Canberra Football Club as Club Changer of the Month for April signals a clear shift in how the program defines contribution: away from participation numbers alone, and toward the equity frameworks that determine whether women stay in the game once they arrive.

South Canberra FC built that framework from the ground up. Established in 2021, the club set out to give women and female-identifying players a safe, inclusive environment to play football at any level. It runs entirely on volunteers, operates as a not-for-profit, and is governed by an all-female committee with 13 of its 14 coaches identifying as female.

 

Building the infrastructure of inclusion

In 2026, the club secured grant funding and put it to work immediately. Two coaches are completing their C Licence qualification, and ten coaches, players and community members have undertaken the Foundations of Football course, which directly tackles the cost and accessibility barriers that exclude women out of coaching pathways.

The club also commissioned a female-specific strength and conditioning program with sports physiotherapists ahead of the 2026 season, targeting injury prevention and explicitly supporting players returning after childbirth.

SCFC’s leadership team draws from LGBTIQ+ individuals, First Nations people and veterans, strengthening the club’s connection to the communities it was built to represent.

The Club Changer program is backing clubs that do this work- clubs that treat equity as infrastructure rather than aspiration. At a moment when Australian football is under pressure to turn its biggest-ever surge of women’s interest into something lasting, SCFC’s model offers a clear answer to the question of how.

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