Lightwood Park on the brink of hosting the world’s best

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Lightwood Park
Image credit: Football Tasmania

Lightwood Park, home to Kingborough Lions, has taken a massive step to confirm their chances of attaining base camp status by a visiting international team for the FIFA Women’s World Cup next year.

Lightwood Park will be among the 35 venues across Australia on FIFA’s Team Base Camp Shortlist, with participating members allowed to choose among them in the draw taking place next month.

Over $6 million worth of upgrades have been completed as part of Stage One upgrades at the facility. This includes preparing the venue to host international superstars and four new changing rooms ensuring Lightwood Park is a much more female-friendly venue.

Stage Two upgrades for Lightwood Park will include three referees rooms, a medical room, plus four additional changing rooms which will be part of the foundation of the new building complex.

Kingborough Lions have women’s and men’s teams competing in the top level of football competition in Tasmania, along with youth-level girls/boys teams and social teams that will benefit immensely for years to come.

Supplementary works for the facility include developing the playing surface and lighting, adhering to FIFA’s specifications has commenced and will be completed later this year.

Kingborough Lions President Brian Downes said via media release:

“Hosting some of the world’s best players at Lightwood Park is going to be immensely exciting for the club”.

“The upgrades at Lightwood Park will not give us the best chance of hosting the best international players during the world cup, but it will also ensure the venue will be able to accommodate the growing grassroots player base.

“The State and Federal Government support for the project will leave a tremendous legacy of having the tournament on our shores.”

Football Tasmania President Bob Gordon reiterated the facility would be a game-changer for football in Kingborough and Tasmania.

“Kingborough has led the way in showing what’s possible with passion and hard work, and there’s no doubt we’d love to see similar facilities in every corner of the state,” he added via press release.

“We’re delighted to see the new Lightwood Park takes shape, and we look forward to a rich future for the venue, from World Cup basecamps to A-League men’s and women’s training and matches after that.” 

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FIFA has partnered with Konami to host the FIFAe World Cup

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Image credit: FIFA website

FIFA has entered into a partnership with Konami to use its eFootball game for the FIFAe World Cup.

This collaboration will feature two tournaments, one for console and one for mobile, with participants from 18 nations competing for the title of FIFAe world champion.

This move is part of FIFA’s strategy to maintain relevance in gaming and esports, particularly in engaging younger fans. FIFA has also expanded its esports portfolio with deals involving Rocket League and Football Manager.

The partnership fills the void left by EA Sports following their high-profile split with FIFA in 2022. Konami’s eFootball, an evolution of the Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) series, is currently the only comparable game to EA Sports FC on the market.

FIFA’s Chief Business Officer, Romy Gai, has championed the new deal highlighting their excitement at the prospect.

“We are incredibly excited to join forces with Konami, this collaboration aligns perfectly with our mission to promote football globally and to provide a platform for players to showcase their skills.”

Konami the Japanese gaming company, this partnership provides legitimacy and increased awareness for eFootball, which has struggled to compete with EA Sports in recent years.

The collaboration is seen as a necessary step for FIFA, given the lack of alternatives and the time it would take to develop a new soccer simulation game. It allows FIFA to continue its presence in soccer-based esports while exploring other gaming opportunities.

Esports has grown massively in viewership and investment over the last decades, it has become a major part of the franchising side of football.

Even in Australia the rise in Esports popularity has coincided with the rise in football popularity, one can not argue against their connection towards football popularity.

FIFA have shown that Esports has become an ever-present strategy in their development of the game. For investors and shareholders in football, Esports impact is something that should not be disregarded.

WSL triples viewership after move to YouTube

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Image credit: Jason Ilagan / Shutterstock.com

Viewership for Women’s Super League (WSL) matches streamed live on YouTube has more than trebled during the 2024/25 season.

This success is no coincidence. Beyond the clear rise in quality and star power across teams for the 2024/25 season, it’s also the first time in league history that non-televised games are streamed for free on YouTube.

Last season, the main issue with viewership was accessibility, where matches not picked up by domestic broadcasters were only available on the FA Player app or website, requiring users to create an account on a platform that was already unpopular.

In the 2023/24 season, the highest viewership for an online-only WSL game was Arsenal’s home fixture against Bristol City, which attracted 78,050 viewers.

However, this season has already shattered records. Over 250,000 fans tuned in on YouTube to watch Leicester face Arsenal in September, setting a new high for a WSL game not televised.

In total, the first three weeks of this season have seen a staggering 1,576,848 live views for WSL matches streamed on YouTube.

Women’s Championship matches have also benefited from the platform, with the season opener between newly promoted Newcastle and London City Lionesses setting a new record for the league, drawing 46,050 live viewers.

This spike in viewership comes at a crucial time for both the WSL and the Championship, as they are holding out for a new broadcasting rights deal set to begin after 2025. Both leagues smartly delayed signing earlier this year to avoid locking into a premature agreement.

The gamble absolutely paid off and the Women’s Professional Leagues Limited (WPLL), now in charge of the top two leagues, will be using these numbers as leverage in discussions over the next major TV rights deal which should include the BBC and Sky Sports amongst other suitors.

Streaming must remain free for A-League Women’s growth 

The A-League Women’s impressively saw a 114% increase in viewership on 10 Play, where every game is streamed for free, and 125% on Paramount+ for the 2023/24 season.

While a switch to YouTube seems unlikely given Channel 10’s monopoly over A-League football, it’s crucial to keep every game available for free on 10 Play if they want viewership to continue rising.

As the WSL and previously the NWSL have demonstrated, offering free streamed games draws in viewers of all ages and ultimately helps turn them into paying fans. The league’s primary focus should be on building an audience as quickly as possible.

Conclusion

The impressive figures from this season suggest that the demand for women’s football is only increasing.

The WSL has made a brilliant move that is sure to enhance the upcoming record-breaking broadcast rights deal, helping the league continue to improve both on and off the field.

The next step is to take it mainstream, and the Ninja A-League should look to follow the blueprint set by the WSL, which has demonstrated how to rapidly gain widespread popularity.

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