Football Australia and CAFA unite to advance women’s football in Central Asia

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Football Australia and the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) jointly delivered a targeted sports diplomacy initiative in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, from August 4 to 7 2025.

The most significant moment of the effort was a two-day seminar on Women’s Football Development, attended by leading representatives from five Central Asian Member Associations. This included Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan, and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Representatives from FIFA, the AFC, and FIFPRO Asia/Oceania were also in attendance. 

Australia looked to its experience hosting the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup to explore strategies for participation growth and legacy building in the Central Asian region, where the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup will take place.

AFC Executive Committee Member and Deputy Chairperson of the AFC Women’s Football Committee, Mijgona Mahmadalieva, highlighted the significance of Australia’s expertise. 

“Partnering with Football Australia gives us access to valuable experience, especially from a federation that successfully hosted the FIFA Women’s World Cup,” Mahmadalieva said. 

“The exchange of ideas and expertise has been both practical and inspiring, and it’s helping us build a stronger foundation for women’s football across the region.”

The seminar was delivered by key delegates from the Australian women’s football landscape and involved meaningful engagement with local football stakeholders. These representatives included International Partnerships Manager, Tom Engelhardt, Football Australia General Manager of Women’s Football, Carlee Millikin, and former Matilda, Gema Simon. 

Millikin shared her thoughts on this collaboration and the long-term vision for women’s football in the region.

“This is about sharing our learnings and building meaningful partnerships that benefit women’s football across Asia,” Millikin said. 

“Hosting the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in 2026 is a chance to showcase the power of women’s football throughout the continent. We’re focused on using this platform to build something bigger, supporting growth, sharing knowledge, and creating a lasting impact.”  

The initiative also featured community engagement activities. This included a training session led by Simon with FC Dushanbe, and several engagements with football stakeholders accompanied by the Australian Deputy Ambassador, Jeremy Guthrie.

Millikin closed her statement by emphasising the impact this initiative will have on Australian football. 

“Central Asia is an important region for Australian football, with our national teams competing here regularly. Two CAFA nations — Iran and Uzbekistan — have qualified for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026, and Uzbekistan will host the tournament in 2029,” she concluded. 

This seminar was the first sports diplomacy initiative between Football Australia and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Central Asia, since the success of the 2024 visit to Uzbekistan.

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IMG takes commercial lead on inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup

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Image Credit: Vietnam Football Federation

IMG has been appointed to lead the global commercialisation of the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup, giving the new Southeast Asian national-team competition an established international sports business partner ahead of its first edition.

Under the strategic partnership, IMG will manage worldwide media and sponsorship rights sales while also overseeing broadcast production for the tournament, which takes place from 24 September to 5 October across Indonesia and Hong Kong, China.

The inaugural competition will feature 14 national teams, including all 11 ASEAN members alongside guest nations, with matches split between two divisions. Division 2 fixtures will be played in Jakarta and Badung, while Division 2 matches will be played in Hong Kong.

The agency’s role will include selling sponsorship and media inventory internationally while helping establish the broadcast infrastructure required to present the tournament to audiences outside Southeast Asia.

The partnership builds on IMG’s existing strategic relationship with PT Garuda Sepak Bola Indonesia, which has been working with the Football Association of Indonesia since 2025 on areas including commercial strategy, media rights, production and digital development.

For FIFA, the tournament creates another international football property in a region with a large and increasingly connected football audience.

For IMG, it adds another major regional property to a football portfolio that already includes competitions and organisations across Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa.

The immediate challenge will be turning the inaugural tournament into a sustainable commercial property capable of attracting broadcasters and sponsors beyond its first edition.

If successful, the FIFA ASEAN Cup could provide Southeast Asian national teams with a recurring commercial platform while giving IMG another foothold in one of football’s developing markets.

GIS Sydney continues to connect students with Australia’s sports industry

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Image Credits: Global Institute of Sport

Following the launch of its Sydney campus in 2025, the Global Institute of Sport (GIS) is continuing to establish itself in the nation’s sports industry. A leading provider of degrees and executive education in sport, GIS provides students the chance to study at two of Australia’s biggest sporting venues: Allianz Stadium and the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).

Programs such as Sports Analytics and International Sports Business are delivered in collaboration with the University of Newcastle, and feature the chance for students to gain exclusive access to the sports industry.

More than 50 guest speakers have shared their experience with students studying at GIS Sydney, representing organisations like FIFA, Red Bull, Cricket Australia, and the AFL. While learning about the regional and national sports industry in the classroom, students have also had the chance to gain an international perspective through GIS’ signature Global Sports Summits, which have given Sydney students access to iconic sporting venues around the world from London to Miami.

Outside of the iconic venues students can call their classrooms, the organisation prioritises the real, industry placements needed to put theory into practice by providing each student with 140 hours of relevant work experience throughout their studies. Included in this are several sporting organisations who are keen to welcome GIS students on board, including the Professional Football Scouts Association (PFSA), Football Coaches Australia, and Basketball NSW.

GIS also has a partnership with popular network and app Yakka Sport to connect students with paid employment opportunities while they study.

Behind these advancements at the GIS Sydney campus is an Industry Advisory Board which features a host of experienced figures from the world of sport. Included in the Asia-Pacific branch is Chair James Rosengarten, GM of the Melbourne Renegades; Kevin Jang, Managing Director of CAA Stellar Korea; and Brad Lloyd, GM of the Carlton Football Club.

Since launching, GIS’ Sydney campus has ultimately combined its locations and industry connections to provide the next generation of sports professionals with the knowledge, network, and confidence to tackle the rapidly evolving sports industry.

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