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Victoria onside for Women’s World Cup bid

The Victorian Government has confirmed they will support Australia’s bid to host the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

If Australia was to win the hosting rights, there are plans in place to play five games at AAMI Park during the five-week tournament.

Victorian Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Martin Pakula, claimed a significant event like the Women’s World Cup was a perfect fit for Melbourne.

“Melbourne loves putting on a show and the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ is as big as it gets in women’s sport,” Minister Pakula said.

“Major events and sport are synonymous with Victoria – we are proud to be playing our role with Football Federation Australia in the bid to win the rights to host what will be an amazing month on the global calendar.”

Australia’s bid book will be officially submitted to FIFA next month, with talks still continuing with Football New Zealand about the possibility of a joint bid.

The 2023 Women’s World Cup will be the largest ever, with 32 teams competing and 64 games being played between July and August.

FIFA is expected to announce the host of the tournament in May 2020.

FFA chairman Chris Nikou was ecstatic that the Victorian government had pledged their support behind Australia’s quest to host the Women’s World Cup.

“Victoria is a world leader in delivering major sporting tournaments and it makes perfect sense that they are part of our bid to host the world’s largest women’s sporting event here in Australia,” Mr Nikou said.

“Our bid for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023 is set to have huge economic benefits for the nation, and profound social impacts in communities across the country.

“Just as importantly, the opportunity to secure a lasting legacy for women’s sport in growing participation, building facilities, driving greater opportunities for women to be leaders in the game and building pathways for the next generation of Westfield Matildas will last for generations.

“I congratulate the Minister and his Government for joining us in partnership to deliver the best World Cup women’s football has seen. We are excited about submitting a compelling bid to FIFA and hosting a World Cup that fans and players will never forget.

“Victoria and its passion for football are very much at the heart of our bid,” Mr Nikou concluded.

Philip Panas is a sports journalist with Soccerscene. He reports widely on football policy and industry matters, drawing on his knowledge and passion of the game.

The Football Coaching Life with Alen Stajcic: “I knew that I had more to give back to the sport”

Alen Stajcic

Football Coaches Australia is delighted to present the latest episode of the ‘Football Coaching Life Podcast’, with Gary Cole interviewing former Australia Women’s National Team and Central Coast Mariners A-League Men’s coach Alen Stajcic.

Alen is currently Head Coach of the Philippines Women’s National Team. The side, nicknamed the Malditas (yes that’s correct!), are being prepared for the 2022 AFC Asian Cup held in India. The Philippines will play in a group with Indonesia, Thailand and of course Australia (the Matildas).

Alen’s Serbian background led him to Bonnyrigg White Eagles in Sydney’s west, but a knee injury shortened his playing career and as a teacher he began coaching.

Staj has had a remarkable coaching journey that began at the Hills Sports High School and at New South Wales Institute of Sport, coaching the Sapphires in the Women’s National Soccer League. Both of these institutions saw teams achieve repeated successes with championship wins, but Alen learned that success comes in many ways.

He had an early taste of coaching the Matildas in an Assistant Coach role with the Young Matildas at the 2006 World Cup in Russia, before becoming the inaugural Head Coach at Sydney FC Women, which saw them win two championships and two premierships, as well as third place at the FIFA International Women’s Club Championship.

Then followed five fantastic years as Head Coach of the Matildas, during which they beat Brazil and World Champions USA for the first time, changing the belief of the players and achieving successes at the Asian Cup, Olympic Games and World Cup.

Alen’s ‘One Piece of Wisdom’ was: ‘It’s got to be fun; you’ve got to enjoy it because it’s a tough job. Coaching can be a lonely experience, so you’ve really got to find the enjoyment, fun and reward and the connection to what it is you want to achieve. If it’s not fun it’s just too tough a job!’

Please join us in sharing Alen Stajcic’s Football Coaching Life.

Paramount+ secures Premier League deal overseas

A-Leagues broadcaster Paramount+ has secured a three-year deal for English Premier League broadcast rights in Mexico and Central America.

A-Leagues broadcaster Paramount+ has secured a three-year deal for English Premier League rights in Mexico and Central America from the start of the 2022/23 season.

The new partnership will mark the end of pay-TV provider Sky Mexico’s reign as the only Premier League broadcaster in the region.

All 380 English Premier League matches will be streamed live through Paramount+ and ‘PlutoTV’ who is the aggregated streaming platform for Paramount+.

The contract covers Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama. It also includes Belize and the Dominican Republic but on a non-exclusive basis.

Paramount+, owned by ViacomCBS, has also secured a Premier League feed for its platforms featuring 24/7 coverage of the competition.

ViacomCBS launched Paramount+ in the US in 2019 with several high-profile soccer rights acquisitions. This included International matches, CONCACAF, UEFA Champions League, as well as top flight football from Italy, Argentina and Brazil.

The Premier League rights deal marks an expansion of operations in Central America ahead of moving into a number of additional territories by 2023, including the UK, Ireland, Germany and Italy.

Premier League Chief Executive Officer, Paul Molnar:

“We are very happy that ViacomCBS views the Premier League and our clubs as a vital part of their live sports offering,” he said.

“ViacomCBS platforms, including Paramount+ and Pluto TV, will be an outstanding home for the Premier League and we look forward to working together to showcase the league to new and existing fans throughout Central America and Mexico.”

Paramount+ has already made their mark in Australia, providing live coverage for A-League men’s and women’s competitions for subscribers to the platform.

ViacomCBS President and Chief Executive, Raffaele Annecchino:

“We know audiences around the world are passionate about sports, and especially about football. This partnership with the Premier League brings exclusive content directly to those fans, live for the first time on Paramount+ in Mexico and Central America,” he said.

“Live sports are an important differentiator for our streaming service, and as we’ve seen in the US and Australia, we are confident this will drive subscriber growth as we continue to offer the best mix of entertainment and now – live sports.”

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