FIFA Women’s World Cup ventures to Australia’s capital

Staff Writer
FIFA Women's World Cup trophy
Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images for Football Australia

FIFA President Gianni Infantino was a special recent guest at Australian Parliament House, as the FIFA Women’s World Cup was presented in Canberra.

Joining him was Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, along with Football Australia Chair and CEO Chris Nikou and James Johnson respectively.

A meeting was held to discuss the hugely successful World Cup far, which has attracted record-breaking attendances and broadcast viewership. Already, over 1.8 million ticket sales have been made across Australia and New Zealand, an amazing result for tournament.

The meeting was followed by a trophy lift, as Infantino spoke to the attendees about his gratitude for the overwhelming fan support.

“Football is so important for society, for inclusion, for the community, for economic growth, for physical health, for mental health and for happiness,” the FIFA President said via a statement.

“It is important for children because through football and playing football, they learn. They learn how to play as a team, how to count on the team-mates, how to win, but also how to lose.

“And, most importantly, how to get up after defeat and go for the next game that we want to win, which is what happened to the Matildas. After defeat they all endured, and the whole country concentrated on the next game because you wanted to win that next game.”

“This tournament is a great event, and you are all really fantastic – a proud country, a country with a rich, rich history, a country which has put up the best FIFA Women’s World Cup ever.

“Thank you for having us here, for everything you do for football, for your children, for your girls, for your boys, in this beautiful country. And, thank you for uniting the entire world here in Australia and in New Zealand.”

The FIFA World Cup Trophy made its next stop to the University of Canberra, allowing the chance to get a photo with the famous silverware.

Football Australia Chair Chris Nikou outlined the role Football Australia has and the impact he wants the Women’s World Cup to have.

“As Chair of Football Australia, I’m immensely proud of what we have achieved so far. This historic edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup has been a testament to our dedication, teamwork, and passion for football,’ he said via media release.

“We’ve not only hosted an unprecedented global event but have demonstrated the powerful role football plays in shaping our society, especially in terms of gender equality and diversity. I strongly believe that the legacy of this tournament will continue to inspire and shape the future of football in Australia, New Zealand, and beyond.”

Football Australia CEO James Johnson echoed Nikou’s thoughts with how the Women’s World Cup will have a positive influence.

“This FIFA Women’s World Cup has proven that we can turn dreams into reality,” Johnson stated, highlighting the record-breaking 1.8 million tickets sales to date, a significant leap from the 1.1 million tickets sold in Paris in 2019.

“Envision the social and health benefits that would flow with 400,000 more women and girls playing the game. This is the aspiration driving our Legacy ’23 initiative, and with record viewership and national broadcast reach for our CommBank Matildas’ victories, it’s clear we’re on the right path.

“Monday night’s CommBank Matildas’ victory over Canada, was the most watched program on the Seven network in 2023 with a national broadcast reach of 4.71 million.

“We are witnessing a landmark moment in the history of football not just for Australia and New Zealand but for the world at large. This tournament has proven the game’s far-reaching appeal, underpinned by its power to unite people across age groups and backgrounds.

“Our journey is only beginning. We are committed to creating an environment that bolsters the growth of women’s football, fosters inclusivity, and nurtures an enduring passion for the game.”

The Matildas continue their FIFA Women’s World Cup tonight (August 7) against Denmark at Stadium Australia, in the Round of 16.

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Active Club Program offers South Australian football clubs a funding boost

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Image Credits: Shutterstock 2327752993

South Australian football clubs can tap into another round of government support, with the Active Club Program offering grants of up to $3,000 to help clubs improve participation and strengthen their local communities. The Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing (ORSR) opened its new round of funding on the 28th of August. Clubs have until midday on Wednesday, 14 October 2026 to apply.

The grassroots benefits

The South Australian Government has allocated $1.448 million to the round. Clubs with fewer than 100 members can receive $1,500. Clubs with 100 or more members can receive $3,000. The program targets grassroots sport, including football. It helps clubs purchase equipment and resources that make participation easier and more affordable.

Football clubs can use the funding for sporting equipment, uniforms and protective gear. They can also fund playing venue maintenance equipment, professional development, medical equipment and training. The program also supports projects that improve inclusion. Clubs can use grants for positive health initiatives and hardship subsidies. These measures can help remove barriers that stop people from playing sport.

That focus creates opportunities for football clubs to support more women and girls. It can also help clubs create more welcoming environments for players of different ages and backgrounds. Water and energy efficiency also form part of the program. Clubs can fund eligible initiatives that reduce water use or improve energy efficiency. That could prove particularly valuable for football clubs managing local playing venues and facilities. The program also allows minor club infrastructure upgrades and technology that directly supports participation or club sustainability.

Who is eligible?

To qualify, a club must operate as a not-for-profit sport or active recreation organisation in South Australia. It must have at least 20 members and have operated for at least 12 months.

ORSR will also consider a club’s participation profile when assessing applications. The assessment looks at female and male junior and senior participation, alongside factors such as the club’s affiliation and when it last received Active Club Program funding.

How to apply

The funding can make a direct difference at grassroots level. In the previous round, 558 South Australian clubs shared more than $1.4 million. The government says the investment helped clubs meet essential costs while supporting participation and inclusion.

For football, that support can stretch beyond the playing field. Stronger clubs create more opportunities for players, coaches and volunteers. They also provide places where people can build connections and stay active. Applications for Round 56 will be screened in November, assessed in December, with clubs notified in January 2027.

To learn more about the South Australian Active Club Program, 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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