How Commonwealth Bank is set to ignite women’s football in 2023

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Images provided by Commonwealth Bank

Commonwealth Bank – the official naming rights sponsor of the CommBank Matildas – has partnered with FIFA as a FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Official Supporter for next year’s tournament.

The partnership reaffirms Commonwealth Bank’s commitment to investing into women’s football and sees them becoming one of the largest brand investors in women’s sport in Australia – which only further highlights the growth and trajectory of the game not only locally, but across the globe.

With the Matildas poised to co-host a historic tournament on home soil with New Zealand, CommBank and FIFA will work together on many initiatives and activations as the countdown to the largest women’s sporting event on the planet continue, most notably the CommBank FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Player Escort Programme, which will see 1,500 children aged 6-10 accompany players onto the pitch before matches in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Speaking with Soccerscene, Dianne Everett – General Manager of Brand & Creative at Commonwealth Bank – outlined the ambitions of the partnership and how Commonwealth Bank is looking to grow women’s football in Australia.

Commonwealth Bank has been named the Official Bank Supporter of the 2023 Women’s World Cup. What is the intended impact of this partnership?

Diane Everett: Our goal is to show young girls and women that they can do anything and achieve great things on the world stage.

We look forward to working with the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 in the lead up to this exciting event next year and inspire future generations of sporting superstars, from grassroots to elite playing levels.

Commonwealth Bank have been the naming rights sponsor for the Matildas for some time now. How successful has the partnership been so far?

Diane Everett: Our partnership with the CommBank Matildas is strong, with the team going from strength to strength on the international football stage. Match attendance and viewership for Matildas’ games has doubled since our partnership with Football Australia was announced last year.

We’re also supporters of the elite pathway and junior teams, the Young Matildas (under 20s) and Junior Matildas (under 17s), helping to grow the next generation of national football stars. Additionally, we also support the ParaMatildas, Australia’s national teams for players with cerebral palsy, acquired brain injury and symptoms of stroke, creating more opportunities for all to play.

We look forward to continuing to support the CommBank Matildas as they lead up to hosting the world on home soil in 2023.

The 2023 Women’s World Cup arrives at a critical time for Australian football where women’s football is on the precipice of exploding. How is CommBank looking to bring further attention to football in Australia in this period?

Diane Everett: Our tie-up with the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 will enable us to offer customers a range of offers and benefits that will drive further attention to football in Australia.

One of these initiatives is the CommBank FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Player Escort Programme. This grassroots initiative will enable 1,500 children across Australia and New Zealand to be part of the tournament and accompany players onto the pitch at the start of each match – a money can’t buy experience. There will be many more exciting activities announced in the road to FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 that will drive further excitement and attention to football in Australia.

Undoubtedly CommBank’s partnership with the 2023 Women’s World Cup will ensure greater visibility on the tournament. How will CommBank be looking to promote the tournament in the lead-in?

Diane Everett: We have a range of initiatives and activities prepared for the road to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 that will be announced in due course.

The CommBank FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Player Escort Programme – for example – will provide chances for customers and communities to get involved and secure spots as part of this initiative during the road to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.

What initiatives will CommBank be driving to ensure the growth of women’s football in Australia throughout the next year?

Diane Everett: Stay tuned! We look forward to sharing more in lead up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.

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Northern NSW Football Launches Female Referee Mentor Program to Strengthen Officiating Pathway

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Northern NSW Football has launched a Female Referee Mentor Program, backed by NSW Office of Sport funding, as the federation moves to address one of the game’s most persistent development gaps: retaining and advancing women in officiating.

The program pairs emerging referees with experienced female officials and coaches, and has already been introduced in match conditions during the 2026 Northern NSW Women’s State Cup under the oversight of NNSWF high-performance referee coach and FIFA referee Casey Reibelt.

Northern NSW says the initiative is designed to improve progression into representative appointments and leadership roles while building the support networks often cited as critical to referee retention.

Tournament rollout offers first test of model

NNSWF said 25 female referees officiated during the Women’s State Cup as part of the program’s initial phase.

The federation also released a number of key appointments linked to the rollout. Sophie Whale and Jamie Mills-Cove were appointed assistant referees for the Community Plate final. Lilli Skaines and Kaitlyn Digby were appointed to the under-13 and under-15 Premier Youth League Girls Cup finals, with Indi Charlesworth named assistant referee for both fixtures.

Reibelt said the initiative was intended to support younger and less-experienced referees in a practical environment and to reduce the sense of isolation that can come with early officiating experience. NNSWF general manager participation and women’s football Allana Neeve said the federation viewed refereeing as a critical part of women’s football and described the funded program as a pathway investment aimed at long-term sustainability.

From participation goal to workforce strategy

Over the past years, women’s player participation has boomed, but officiating pathways have not always expanded at the same pace, particularly in regional systems where access to experienced coaching and consistent appointments can be uneven.

That has consequences beyond referee numbers. Match officials are a core workforce input for competition quality, scheduling and player development. If attrition is high in early officiating years, federations are forced into constant replacement cycles rather than building depth.

In that context, mentor programs are increasingly treated as operational infrastructure, not supplementary participation projects. What matters is not only recruitment, but conversion: whether referees remain in the system long enough to progress into advanced appointments and eventually into coaching and leadership roles.

Northern NSW’s decision to embed mentoring in live competition rather than classroom-only delivery is a practical strength. Development feedback linked to real matches is generally more actionable for emerging referees than abstract technical sessions.

The next phase, however, will determine whether the program produces structural change. Initiatives launched around major events often generate strong short-term engagement but weaken across regular-season demands, especially where travel, study and work pressures are high.

Over time, the federation will need to show progress in second- and third-season retention, advancement into higher-grade appointments, and sustained mentor participation beyond flagship tournaments. Consistency across metropolitan and regional cohorts will also be central to any claim of pathway equity.

Public funding raises reporting expectations

Office of Sport support gives the program early stability, but it also raises the bar on transparency. Publicly supported pathway programs are typically expected to report outcomes, not just participation stories.

For this initiative, that means publishing practical indicators: cohort continuity, appointment progression and evidence that mentoring remains active throughout the season cycle. Without that reporting architecture, it is difficult to distinguish between a successful event and a durable reform.

For now, Northern NSW has delivered a credible first step: a defined mentor structure, named participants and immediate implementation inside a representative competition. The next challenge is to convert that start into a repeatable officiating pipeline.

New Stewarding Academy receives backing from Premier League

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Image credit: Premier League

It is a partnership which sees the Premier League, Capital City College and the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, all unite to create job opportunities and raise stewarding standards across the industry.

 

Football’s forgotten heroes?

Everyone who watches live football will undoubtedly – and unsurprisingly – focus on the people at the heart of the action.

Players, managers, and even other fans all tend to receive the most attention. They are the show people come to see.

But behind every great show, is a team behind the scenes bringing it together, helping when needed, ensuring everything runs smoothly.

Stewards are an ever-present part of the live football experience; highly visible yet easily ignored.

And, as London’s own football industry knows all too well, a lack of stewards can spell trouble for sustaining high-quality and safe live match experiences for fans.

 

Securing development and safety

The partnership between the Premier League and the Mayor of London will see AUD 2.3 million (£1.2 million) invested into the game.

And as the Premier League Chief Policy and Social Impact Officer, Clare Summer outlined, the Academy is essential not only to provide future employment, but to meet current demands.

“There are more than 15 million visits to Premier League stadiums each season, and we work alongside partners and the police to deliver safe and inclusive matchdays across the country,” Summer said.

“Through this partnership, we are providing new employment and training opportunities for thousands of people, contributing to the safe and welcoming environment provided at 380 matches each season.”

Thus, the partnership functions both as a way to engage people with the football industry, while also providing core employment skills and experience.

 

Jobs beyond the pitch

London, much like the rest of the world, is not lacking in fans of the beautiful game.

So considering there is such demand for stewards in the city’s football industry, the Academy marks a logical step to giving people another way of connecting with football.

And the impact goes far beyond sentimental value.

For example, the Premier League strives to improve training and employment opportunities across the UK, supporting up to 104,500 full-time equivalent jobs in the 2023/24 season.

So while the Premier League may require the efforts and skills of thousands of people, it also continues to invest back into the community.

Education, opportunity and trust. All of these are essential aspects to improving the lives of young people looking for a way into football, as well as looking to improve their own lives with purpose and fulfilment.

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