The key statistics where the Matildas are superior to the Socceroos

Matildas

The largest women’s sporting event exceeded expectations when the Matildas’ opening match was arguably the greatest sporting moment that had been seen on Australian and perhaps New Zealand soil, with elation and football frenzy enclosing the stadium more than two hours from kick-off.

However, it was the day before that it was made official that more Matildas jerseys had been acquired in preparation to the tournament than that of the Socceroos merchandise during the entirety of the men’s World Cup at the end of last year.

The major sponsor of the CommBank Matildas, Nike, promote Sam Kerr independently in a contract worth as much as $1 million, who is an integral part for the marketing potential for the women’s team which is now superior to that of the men’s because of her star power by being the global face of Nike’s Mercurial boots, along with superstar players Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe.

Vice President and General Manager of Nike Ashley Reade said in a statement:

“l think she is one of the biggest athletes in the world already, she would be right up there without question, as one of the most marketable athletes in the world,” he said.

“We want to look back on the 2020s as the decade of women’s sport which starts with this global football moment and extends to 2032 in Brisbane, we think women’s football has the biggest upside because it’s a truly global game and we would say is still under-penetrated.”

Kerr has deals with Mastercard and EA Sports, is the first woman to be on the cover of its premier sports video game and features in the latest Disney+ series, along with her contract at Chelsea which is reportedly valued more than $600,000 a season.

The jerseys for Australia’s women’s national football team are fabricated from recycled polyester featuring a marbled pattern drawing upon the golden wattle for their home strip, when it involves the jerseys kids are outselling the adults kits.

The sales of football boots, balls and jerseys is a lucrative business with $75 billion in total revenue last year.

Nike had been exploring the possible upside and downside of the Matildas performance, with the guaranteed three games in the group stage and the likely hood of knockout stages to follow.

“We’ve done a lot of work on a top down, bottom up with teams, looking at the Lionesses who won the Euros recently, how many kits did people buy, how long did that last? What if it doesn’t go so well or what if it goes really well? We’ve done a lot of work to triangulate, what is the right number?” Reade explained further.

The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Wide World of Sports named Kerr the most inspiring female in Australian Sport.

Reade added it is Kerr’s down-to-earth personality that makes her so noteworthy and marketable.

“Her abilities are unquestioned but the way she approaches life just makes her one of those out-of-the-box athletes, we always thought was something special,” he said.

“I just love her humility, she is so humble and so connected to her friends and family, she doesn’t take herself too seriously and she is just a beautiful spirit to be around.”

The Matildas will play their second game of the group stage against Nigeria at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane with kick-off at 8pm.

Dandenong Thunder to enjoy $700,000 LED lighting upgrade at George Andrews Reserve

Dandenong Thunder lighting upgrade

Greater Dandenong Council and Dandenong Thunder have recently confirmed that works have commenced for new powerful lighting towers to be built at George Andrews Reserve.

The upgrade will cost $700,000 and is being jointly funded by Greater Dandenong Council ($500,000) and the State Government ($200,000) with a plan to improve the ground’s overall quality for both training and matches. They formerly had 200-lux LED towers and they will be replaced by 500-lux towers.

For the Greater Dandenong local council, the focus was to improve the facility for the community to enjoy the health and wellbeing benefits through the increased amount of playable hours at the reserve.

Importantly, the project ensures that the Thunder have a ground that is up to professional competition and broadcast standards which means they can broadcast and host games that are viewed by a national audience, a huge step forward for the NPL Victoria club.

This broadcast upgrade also opens up the possibility to expand to national matches involving the Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City A-League women’s teams and an even more ambitious goal of hosting a Matildas game. The ground can easily hold 5000 people and the lighting and broadcasting standards will be fantastic after this upgrade.

Dandenong Thunder shared the positive implications this light upgrade has for the club.

“The new lights mean the club will be able to host a number of games, not only that but it’s a step forward to the clubs ambition to be part of the NSD (national second division),” a club spokesperson told Soccerscene.

“The support from local council has been nothing but fantastic, Dandenong want to be a sporting hub for the south east suburbs.

“With the FA cup we have seen A-League clubs play at local level clubs, having these new high powered lights we will be able to broadcast at a higher quality, no more yellow light broadcast.”

This news presents an exciting future for Dandenong Thunder and the matches played at George Andrews Reserve. The quality of training, matches and broadcasts has improved tenfold and it matches the size of the NPL Victoria side that have big ambitions.

CPKC and Kansas City Current’s major stadium naming rights deal a win for women’s sport

CPKC Stadium design

The world’s first professional female-football dedicated stadium – home of the NWSL’s Kansas City Current – will be known as CPKC Stadium, after an historic naming rights deal was agreed with the North American rail network company.

Formed as a merger between Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern rail networks in July this year, CPKC represents the first trans-North American rail network between Canada, the United States and Mexico.

CPKC has been a leading investor for women’s sports in the state of Kansas, and CPKC President & CEO, Keith Creel, was proud to announce the stadium naming rights deal.

“We are incredibly proud to sponsor the Kansas City Current and support this history-making project here in the city that is at the heart of our North American rail network,” Creel said via press release.

“CPKC has been a long-time champion of women’s sports and of investing in our communities. This stadium and this partnership with the Current will build on that legacy as together we write a new chapter here in Kansas City.”

CPKC will also hold naming rights to the stadium’s outdoor space for fans, which will be known as CPKC Plaza. This area provides entertainment for all CPKC Stadium attendees, including the KC Current’s official merchandise store.

It is hoped that the naming rights deal will kickstart further investment in women’s football across the region, which has been the cornerstone of the KC Current’s existence according to co-founders and owners, Angie and Chris Long.

“Our [KC Current & CPKC] organisations share a commitment to strive for excellence, invest heavily in our communities and raise the bar with global influence. We are extremely excited to work with CPKC on this historic agreement and know our partnership will create a long-standing positive impact!”

Further to its substantial investment in women’s football, CPKC’s establishment of a direct line between Canada, the United States and Mexico is expected to have substantial benefits for football supporters attending the 2026 Men’s FIFA World Cup.

Presently, though, the stadium naming rights deal demonstrates CPKC’s intention to be a key investor in women’s football across Kansas and North America.

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