Australia’s state federations have celebrated the nation’s successful bid for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The respective football federations of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Northern Territory, Tasmania, West and Australian Capital Territory have all congratulated Football Federation Australia on its winning bid.
The state federations believe that the World Cup will have positive impacts on football in Australia, such as assisting with the development of the women’s game as well as an increase in participants.
On the day of the announcement, Football NSW CEO Stuart Hodge said that it was a great day for football in NSW and Australia.
“The tournament will be a catalyst for the further development of women’s football in NSW and Australia, creating a profound and enduring legacy for the women’s game,” he said.
“The FIFA Women’s World Cup is the pinnacle for any female footballer to play and we look forward to welcoming the best teams from across the globe as well as the best players participating in our backyard along with our Matildas.
“Hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup will provide us all with a great opportunity to accelerate the growth of women’s football and increase investment into football facilities, particularly those that are female friendly.”
Football Tasmania CEO Matt Bulkeley said that the Matildas are an inspiration to young girls and boys.
“27 per cent of all Tasmanian football players are female, meaning Tasmania already has one of the highest levels of female participation in the country, he said.
“Our short-term goal is to see female participation rise to 30 per cent of our total registration base and having the FIFA Women’s World Cup played in Australia will go a long way to helping achieve this.
“No matter where it’s held, every four years we see a great spike in new girls signing up to play football off the back of Women’s World Cup. We’re optimistic that following this exciting announcement, female football in Tasmania will see an even bigger spike in participation than usual.”
At a FIFA Council meeting on Friday morning, it was announced that Australia and New Zealand would be hosting the World Cup. They received 22 votes while Colombia received 13.