Matildas draw record attendance in victory against Chile

Mere days after the huge announcement of equal pay between the Matildas and the Socceroos, the women have set another benchmark.

In their 2-1 win over Chile at the weekend, they drew the highest ever attendance for a women’s international match in Australian history.

20,029 fans flocked to the newly constructed Bankwest Stadium in Sydney to see Sam Kerr strut her stuff, bagging two goals as she lead her side to victory again.

After a disappointing few months following their early elimination from the Women’s World Cup earlier this year, the Matildas are well on their way to re-affirming their position as one of Australia’s strongest internationally represented teams.

The unceremonious sacking of Alen Stajcic also threw a major spanner in the works prior to the World Cup.

But Ante Milicic has done a fine job thus far. Success has seemed to follow the Matildas everywhere since that loss to Norway and this is not limited to on field performance.

The recent announcement of the equal pay agreement clearly is a landmark announcement and will hopefully spur the team on for the foreseeable future.

As we iterated in our article last week, let’s hope we can become the catalyst for a plethora of other countries to follow suit.

But today, the Matildas created another day to remember.

Being their first professional encounter following France, they had the fire in their bellies to do our country proud.

They certainly did that.

They’ve been an inspiration to so many people already, many of whom will hopefully be the next wave of aspiring superstars, both male and female.

With the equal pay agreement and more proof that people genuinely love watching them play at home, nothing seems to be able to stop them now.

And quite frankly, we couldn’t be more excited for what the future holds.

 

 

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How James Johnson Is Shaping Canada Soccer’s Billion-Dollar World Cup Commercial Future

Canada Soccer has confirmed a renewed long-term commercial agreement with Canadian Soccer Media and Entertainment, marking a significant reset in the federation’s revenue strategy as the country prepares to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The updated partnership extends CSME’s control of Canada Soccer’s commercial rights, including sponsorship, broadcast and media licensing, while introducing revised financial terms designed to provide the federation with greater long-term revenue certainty and growth potential. The agreement replaces a previous deal that faced heavy scrutiny from players and stakeholders over concerns surrounding commercial valuation and distribution of revenues.

CSME, led by Group Chief Executive James Johnson, played a central role in renegotiating the structure, which aims to better align commercial returns with the sport’s accelerating domestic and international profile. The revised framework is expected to support increased investment across national team programs, commercial development and broader football growth initiatives.

The agreement arrives at a pivotal moment for Canadian football, with momentum building across both men’s and women’s programs and global attention increasing ahead of 2026. Securing a more sustainable commercial model is viewed as critical to ensuring the federation can maximise opportunities generated by hosting football’s largest tournament.

The renewed partnership also signals a shift toward long-term commercial planning, providing Canada Soccer with a more stable financial platform as it looks to strengthen its competitive standing and expand participation nationwide.

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