Western Australia officially declare support for 2023 Women’s World Cup bid

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In recent times, the Victorian and South Australian governments have gotten onside with the 2023 Women’s World Cup hosting bid.

The Matildas are one of, if not our most decorated international sides and to say they deserve to host the largest women’s sporting tournament in the world is a severe understatement.

Ever since the bid was initially proposed, there have been strong suggestions that Perth and the state of WA would be integral to the makeup of the tournament.

On Saturday, WA Premier Mark McGowan and the state government officially declared that the state of Western Australia will indeed be a part of the bid to host a Women’s World Cup.

In theory, a Women’s World Cup would 100% work in Australia, despite clashes with the AFL and NRL seasons. With this in mind, matches at the 100,000 capacity MCG seem to be unlikely.

With that in mind, Perth has become a major talking point when it comes to a host city or where a potential final would be held. Now, with the WA government officially on board with the FFA’s proposed bid, that idea has a base.

The sport of soccer has seen a resurgence to a certain degree in recent times. Perth Glory have re-established themselves as an A-League powerhouse and were unlucky not to be crowned champions last season.

But when it comes to soccer in WA, the main talking point is Sam Kerr.

The Matildas captain is one of the poster girls for women’s soccer all across the globe. She recently made international headlines by signing for Chelsea’s women’s team in England. The Blues currently lead the FA Women’s National League, the Premier League equivalent for women.

She has been and continues to be an inspiration for up and coming soccer players in Australia, especially in her home state of Western Australia.

McGowan subsequently spoke about how it’s a potentially fantastic reward for the Matildas, but how beneficial it could be for his state.

“The WA Government is very excited at the prospect of being part of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in 2023,” McGowan said.

“We have also partnered with FFA to secure at least two Socceroos games in Perth, including two guaranteed World Cup qualifiers next year and in 2021.

“The benefits to our State will be significant, in terms of having a major economic impact on and providing a massive increase in exposure to the rest of the world.”

We have previously spoken about the prospect of hosting a Women’s World Cup Down Under in 2023 and how it’s benefits would have no end.

The amount of aspiring female players will skyrocket, with many hoping to emulate the likes of Kerr, Lisa De Vanna, Steph Catley and Chloe Logarzo.

As Premier McGowan outlined, the increase in exposure across the globe would do a world of good. The Matildas are already a highly respected side, currently ranked 8th in the world by FIFA and ahead of international footballing powerhouses like Brazil, Spain and Italy.

The game in Australia would benefit hugely and more fans from around the world would start watching our domestic competitions, both male and female.

Compare this to the way in which Qatar became the number one topic everywhere when it was named the host of the 2022 Men’s World Cup.

When soccer fans think of Qatar, they automatically think to how they are hosting that competition, as well as how they recently stunned the continent of Asia by winning this year’s Asian Cup back in February.

The tournament is still two and a half years away and yet, talk about them and the tournament still continues. Imagine when the tournament actually gets underway.

The bid continues to attract major stakeholders and more and more people are getting #onside with it. It goes to show that women’s sport isn’t just emerging from the shadows, it’s becoming a genuine revolution and now, it’s viewed upon by the majority as just as important as the men’s game.

Let’s hope that the 2023 bid is successful because it would be the sustained interest that soccer in this country needs.

 

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Caelum Ferrarese is a Senior journalist with Soccerscene. He reports widely on micro policy within Australasia and industry disruptions at grassroots level.

Football Australia and Paramount Australia confirm historic multi-year media rights deal

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OOTBALL AUSTRALIA AND PARAMOUNT AUSTRALIA AGREE TO HISTORIC MULTI-YEAR, MULTI-PLATFORM MEDIA RIGHTS DEAL FOR AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL TEAMS THROUGH TO 2028

Football Australia has confirmed that Paramount Australia, the parent company of Network 10 and Paramount+, will be the official broadcaster for the CommBank Matildas and Subway Socceroos in Australia. This deal includes the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026™ hosted in Australia and the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™.

Over 100 international matches featuring the Matildas and Socceroos will be broadcast live, with at least 50 available on free-to-air TV.

Paramount has also secured exclusive rights to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027™, in a partnership with IMG.

The agreement extends through 2028, encompassing all CommBank Matildas and Subway Socceroos friendly matches, AFC tournaments, and Australia Cup Finals. This deal, specifically with ING, also consolidates broadcasting rights under a single platform, ensuring extensive coverage across 96% of Australian households.

With the CommBank Young Matildas opener in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Colombia 2024™ kicking off on September 1st, 2024, fans will immediately benefit from this deal.

James Johnson, CEO of Football Australia, remarked: “This landmark agreement with Paramount Australia is a pivotal moment for Australian football. It brings unprecedented exposure to our national teams and provides fans with unparalleled access to the CommBank Matildas and Subway Socceroos.

“Innovation is the cornerstone of our approach to sustaining and expanding the influence of Australian football. Reacquiring the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) National Team rights and securing the broadcast rights to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027™ are strategic moves designed to maximise control over our content, enhance fan accessibility, and unlock new revenue streams.

“These rights are integral to our strategy to secure a transformative broadcast deal that we anticipate will set new benchmarks in the valuation of football media rights in Australia. Bringing as much national team content as possible to a multi-platform partner was a key objective from a fan’s perspective, and we are thrilled to achieve this.

“We look forward to our continued partnership with Paramount Australia, a relationship that has been pivotal in delivering high-quality football matches to our fans. This ongoing collaboration will be crucial as we navigate future opportunities and challenges in the dynamic media landscape.

“We also extend our gratitude to the IMG team for their invaluable support in navigating this complex negotiation with all parties involved and our friends at FIFA and AFC for their tremendous support and collaboration,” concluded Mr. Johnson.

This agreement reinforces Paramount Australia’s commitment to Australian football, which boasts the highest participation rate of club sport in the country and is the leading organized sport for children under 14.

With exclusive coverage of the A-Leagues, Paramount has been involved in Australian football for many years and continue to provide football fans with local broadcasts.

“Australian football fans are the winners here,” said Beverley McGarvey, President of Network 10 and Paramount Australia’s Head of Streaming and Regional Lead.

“Never before have fans had such incredible access to the sport they love, ranging from the A-Leagues all the way through to premium international games broadcast on one free-to-air network and one of Australia’s fastest-growing streaming platforms.

“Perhaps one of the most exciting aspects of the Paramount Australia agreement, which we see as an exciting extension of our coverage of the A-Leagues, is the opportunity for women’s football.

“All CommBank Matildas’ games at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 will be telecast by Network 10 on free-to-air television, as will all Matildas’ games in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026™,” Ms. McGarvey said.

Fans can access the broadcasts via Network 10 and/or Paramount+ subscriptions, exactly like the A-Leagues coverage.

Exclusive behind-the-scenes content, interactive fan engagement opportunities, and social media initiatives will be part of this comprehensive coverage.

The full list of rights included in the agreement are:

  • AFC Asian Qualifiers (FIFA World Cup 2026™ Asian Qualifiers Final Round)
    5 Sep 24 – Australia v Bahrain on Network 10, 10 Play, and Paramount+.
    10 Sep 24 – Indonesia v Australia exclusive on Paramount+.
    10 Oct 24 – Australia v China PR on Network 10, 10 Play, and Paramount+.
    15 Oct 24 – Japan v Australia exclusive on Paramount+.
    14 Nov 24 – Australia v Saudi Arabia on Network 10, 10 Play, and Paramount+.
    19 Nov 24 – Bahrain v Australia exclusive on Paramount+.
    20 Mar 25 – Australia v Indonesia on Network 10, 10 Play, and Paramount+.
    25 Mar 25 – China PR v Australia exclusive on Paramount+.
    5 Jun 25 – Australia v Japan on Network 10, 10 Play, and Paramount+.
    10 Jun 25 – Saudi Arabia v Australia exclusive on Paramount+.
  • FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027™ (15 matches on Network 10, all matches on Paramount+).
  • AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026™ (six matches on Network 10, all matches on Paramount+).
  • AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ (all matches exclusively on Paramount+).
  • AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026™ and 2028™.
  • All CommBank Matildas and Subway Socceroos International Friendlies 2025 to 2028 (15 CommBank Matildas Friendlies on Network 10, all matches on Paramount+ and 10 Subway Socceroos’ Friendlies on Network 10, all matches on Paramount+).
  • Australia Cup Finals 2025 to 2028.

Professional Footballers Australia release the Safe Football Project for workplace protection

Liam Watson
Image credit: IOIO IMAGES / Shutterstock.com

Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) has launched the Safe Football Project, to safeguard the rights and wellbeing of Australia’s professional footballers.

Following a collaboration between the union and A-League Women players since 2021, Safe Football Project aims to make professional football as the safest available sport for women – by providing a platform to identify, address and reduce risks of abuse and harassment.

When a revelation came to light of Matildas legend Lisa De Vanna facing non-recent sexual harassment, grooming and bullying during her career, it prompted the creation of the project with her disclosure in 2021.

With other high-profile abuse cases in football worldwide, it saw an urgent need for the PFA to conduct a systemic review of the players’ workplaces and experiences.

FIFPRO, the World Players’ Association, and human rights advocates, have also helped to develop the Safe Football Project as areas of the current regulatory framework were addressed.

To achieve a safer workplace in professional football, the Safe Football Project identifies two key recommendations:

  1. A Collaborative, Wholesale Review of Current Safeguarding Frameworks
  2. Take Urgent, Interim Actions

The PFA conducted surveys with A-League Women players and collected the results via anonymous responses. Among the findings from 2023, 45% of players experienced harassment or abuse, but did not tell someone about it; from a total of 172 survey responses.

PFA Co-Chief Executive Kathryn Gill commented on the launch of the initiative:

“A safe workplace is a human right. Our members’ safety and wellbeing at work are our most important priority. However, the Project has shown that Australian football, like most sporting leagues, is falling short,” she said via press release.

“We activated the Safe Football Project not just as a response to past failures but to encourage everyone involved in the sport to address these serious and confronting challenges proactively.

“The next step is to work together with all stakeholders in Australian football to implement best practice safeguarding measures that are shaped by the people they are designed to protect – the players.

“Finally, I would like to acknowledge and thank the many players who so actively contributed to the development of the Project and the courageous women who have spoken publicly about their experiences of abuse and harassment in the hope of being a catalyst for change.”

The Safe Football Project will play a crucial role in providing a safe and welcoming environment for players, in a high-performance industry that has seen serious incidents of abusive behaviour in recent years.

To read the Safe Football Project report and its findings in full, click here.

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