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Football Federation Australia (FFA) has agreed to extend their partnership with Westfield as the leading sponsor for the Australian women’s national soccer team.
The Matildas, who are set to embark on the FIFA Women’s World Cup in a month, have been backed further by Westfield for a further two years.
The FFA and Westfield’s new owner Scentre Group has kept a long-running deal alive that began in 2008 – where the women’s game has grown in leaps and bounds,
The women’s teams will be continue to be referred to as the Westfield Matildas, Westfield Young Matildas and Westfield Junior Matildas, while the W-League will also feature Westfield in it’s name.
“We are very excited that Westfield will continue supporting women’s football in Australia and we look forward to working closely with everyone at Scentre Group as we seek to innovate and continue to grow the game in Australia,” – David Gallop, Chief Executive of the FFA.
“The sponsorship connects our communities with the sport they love through memorable player experiences in our living centres and exclusive opportunities at Westfield Matildas matches. I would encourage other business leaders to get involved and foster the continued growth of women’s sport in this country.” – Scentre Group Chief Executive, Peter Allen.
Female football in regional Western Australia is set to receive a significant boost nearly $1 million investment from the Federal Government.
Football West has secured $997,339 through the Federal Government’s Play Our Way program, aimed at breaking down barriers for women and girls in sports and physical activities.
The Australian Government is providing $200 million for the Play Our Way program and this set of funding is the first of many for state football federations.
The program will run over 3 years from 2024–25 to 2026–27 with the money spread out to help provide safe, inclusive, quality and sustainable facilities, equipment and initiatives as well as help women and girls to remain involved in sport and physical activity for life.
The grant will fund Football West’s Our Game WA initiative, which focuses on two main components:
Leading Our Game: A new coaching course exclusively for women.
Growing Our Game: A series of initiatives designed to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for women and girls in football.
Football West Manager – Female Football & Advocacy Tash Rigby expressed her excitement at the positive news for women’s players in WA.
“This is incredible news and we can do so much good for female football with this kind of investment,” she said via press release.
“Interest in female football right across the state is at an all-time high. We want to make it as easy as possible for women and girls to participate in our game and fulfil their potential, be it as players, coaches, match officials, and in any other capacity.
“It is extra special that the money will be invested in regional WA. Regional football is close to my heart – I am from Margaret River and know the passion around the state for football.”
Football West CEO Jamie Harnwell extended on Rigby’s points by discussing the importance of this deal for regional women’s football.
“We are delighted to have been successful in our application and thank the Australian Government for supporting our proposal,” Harnwell said via press release.
“Our commitment to female football over the past decade is well documented and this grant will enable us to give more girls and women the opportunity to develop a love for the game.
“Regional football caters for around a quarter of our registrations and so it is great to invest funding of this kind across the State.
“We are currently hosting the 2024 Country Week carnival at Kingsway Reserve, which is our biggest celebration of regional football, so the timing of this announcement could not be better.”
This is fantastic news especially for regional football in general which is often neglected but remains one of the key factors in WA’s strong participation numbers in 2024.
Football West is creating a space that can help girls and women play in a safe, inclusive environment in an extremely inspiring time for women’s football in Australia.
More information on the Play Our Way Grant Opportunity can be found here.
Football Australia (FA) in collaboration with member federations will operate an academy program initiative to nurture youthful Australian talent.
The Football Australia Academy will start its maiden campaign in October 2024. It will collaborate and be subsidised with Football South Australia, Football Tasmania, Football Victoria, and Football West.
The program is a three-tiered system focusing on refining the technical skills, tactical understanding, and high-performance behaviours of promising young male and female players nationwide.
The academy will draw its talent pool from individuals identified through the FIFA Talent Development Scheme (TDS), a joint initiative between Football Australia and FIFA confirmed earlier this year.
Football Australia Chief Football Officer, Ernie Merrick, championed the initiative and its goals for player and coaching prospects.
“We’re delighted to be partnering with the pilot group of Member Federations to bring the Football Australia Academy to life, which marks a significant step forward in our efforts to create a clear pathway to our Subway Socceroos and CommBank Matildas for Australia’s best and brightest young footballers,” he said via press release.
The TDS will broaden the scope for discovering promising players by increasing scouting opportunities and establishing multiple talent ‘capture’ points throughout the country. By the end of 2024, the TDS aims to have provided up to 3,000 young players the opportunity to be identified from schools, local clubs, and elite programs nationwide.
At the heart of this program is the commitment to provide budding talents with access to highly skilled, qualified, and experienced coaches throughout their developmental journey. The FA collaborates with FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to elevate Australian coaching certifications to globally recognised standards.
This initiative marks a significant step forward in Australian football, promising to create a robust pipeline of skilled players and coaches that could elevate the nation’s standing in the global football community.
