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Football Australia and Commonwealth Bank begin partnership to grow women’s football

FA CBA

Football Australia have today announced the start of a game-changing partnership with Commonwealth Bank.

Originally announced in April this year, today’s newly formed partnership will see Commonwealth Bank become one of the largest investors in Australian women’s football.

Millions of dollars are set to be injected into the elite women’s game and grassroots initiatives across the country over the next four years.

The bank will become the official partner and bank of the Commonwealth Bank Matildas, Commonwealth Bank Young Matildas, Commonwealth Bank Junior Matildas, Socceroos and more.

In addition, the partnership supports Football Australia’s 15-year vision and strategic agenda to increase women’s and girls’ participation in the sport that was pledged in the Legacy ’23 plan.

Monique Macleod, Commonwealth Bank Group Executive of Marketing and Corporate Affairs, acknowledged the significance of such a landmark moment for CBA and Australian football.

“This is an exciting time for women’s football; the Matildas recent performance on the world stage is showing young Australian women and girls they can achieve great things. We are ready to play our part in strengthening the game at all levels as we head towards 2023 and beyond,” she said.

“We are delighted to partner with Football Australia in supporting the Commonwealth Bank Matildas in their quest for glory on the world stage, and the future growth and development of the game across all levels.”

Football Australia Chief Executive Officer James Johnson added: “Our partnership with Commonwealth Bank represents a clear and strong alignment of values between our two organisations. It is also a significant endorsement of our vision for Australian football and our strategic priority to anchor the growth of the game in women’s football.

“We are already seeing Commonwealth Bank’s commitment to helping Football Australia provide opportunities for all Australians to play football, and to further strengthen the Commonwealth Bank Matildas’ position as an iconic brand, by helping us to reach more Australians than ever before.

“In recent weeks we’ve seen the Commonwealth Bank Matildas set the record for the largest audience for a women’s team sport in Australian TV history, with an average television audience of 1.87 million tuning in to watch Australia and Sweden in Tokyo. This is a sign of how this team is capturing the hearts and minds of Australians everywhere and with Commonwealth Bank’s support, we believe this team will continue to grow and reach new heights over the coming years.

“Commonwealth Bank’s support for the Socceroos also comes at a time when the team has reached its highest FIFA ranking since 2011, and readies itself for the next phase of the Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar with upcoming matches against China and Vietnam in the September Men’s International Match Calendar window.”

Football NSW appoints two new directors

FNSW

Football NSW have announced the appointment of Deborah Chapman and Brett Mitchell as new directors to the Football NSW Board.

With an extensive background in finance and organisational strategy, particularly in relation to audit and risk experience, both Chapman and Mitchell will help to develop and advance the member federation’s financial accounting, reporting, and strategy development.

As Chief Financial Officer for NSW Treasury, Chapman holds a wealth of financial and strategy experience, which also spans to previous executive roles at Unilever Australia and PricewaterhouseCoopers. She is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Appointed for a period of two years, Chapman comes from a football family with her husband and daughter both current members of the Football St George Association. Her son is a referee in the St George area and part of the referee development program at Football NSW. Both her daughter and son also previously participated in Football NSW’s State Cup and Champion of Champions competitions.

Joining the Board to fill the casual vacancy in the Elected Director position, Mitchell joins with an abundance of experience in the finance and strategy space.

As a Partner at KPMG for 16 years, Mitchell is the National Partner in Charge of Enterprise – Tax, Transactions & Accounting, a current member of the KPMG Board, Chair of the KPMG Audit Committee, a member of the Ethics and Independence Disciplinary Committee, and is a trusted advisor in providing taxation and accounting services to various private companies and high-wealth individuals.

Mitchell also boasts a long history within the Australian Football family, having played for 26 years at community and state league level, including two National Championship campaigns (1988, 1989). He also holds qualifications in coaching and refereeing and has previously served as the Junior President of Chatswood Football Club.

Football NSW warmly welcomes the addition of these new Directors.

Construction of World Cup facilities underway in Tasmania

The upgrades to Clennett’s Lightwood Park are underway, ensuring that Kingborough Lions FC’s home ground will be given a significant opportunity to potentially host training basecamps for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.

The upgrades to Clennett’s Lightwood Park are underway, ensuring that Kingborough Lions FC’s home ground will be given a significant opportunity to potentially host training basecamps for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.

As an extension to the news from Kingborough Lions United Football Club (KLUFC) earlier this year, the club were recipients of a portion of the Tasmanian Government’s $10 million pledge to upgrade facilities in preparation for hosting World Cup content. Devonport’s Valley Road, Launceston’s Birch Avenue and Churchill Park also received valuable funding.

Football Tasmania CEO Matt Bulkeley sees the opportunity to host a travelling World Cup team as an exciting one for Tasmania.

“We know FIFA are in the process of shortlisting facilities, so it’s fantastic to see work begin so quickly here at Clennett’s Lightwood Park to bring the ground up to scratch and make it an attractive prospect for visiting teams,” he said.

“The FIFA Women’s World Cup is the third biggest sporting event on the planet, and while it was disappointing for Tasmania not to host any tournament matches, the opportunities stemming from hosting training camps and warm-up games are still huge, both for football and the economy.

“Not only will travelling teams and support staff provide the own boosts to the local economy, but the travelling media contingent is massive, and many fans will also want to base themselves near their players and commute to games.

“With the eyes of a nation on their team for a month, we can also expect to see great exposure for Tasmania, helping attract new tourists for years to come as we continue to rebuild from the impacts of the pandemic.”

Kingborough Lions FC
Planned redevelopment for FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.

Kingborough Lions FC President Brian Downes explained the upgraded facility would greatly enhance the growing club’s ability to provide opportunities for players of all ages and skill levels.

“Once completed, the new complex will contain eight changerooms on the ground floor with new club rooms, catering facilities and seating upstairs, making football more accessible for the club’s 600 plus players, and the thousands more that play there each month,” Downes said.

“As well as giving us a great shot of seeing some of the world’s best players here at Clennett’s Lightwood Park, this will help Kingborough Lions FC enhance participation and delivery of all services the club offers to the Kingborough community for many years after the World Cup has finished.

“The additional funding from the Federal Government will not only allow for the total completion of the new building, but will contribute towards further improvements around the main ground including an improved playing surface, new lights to 500 lux standard and improved security and fencing.”

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