According to James Johnson, chief executive of Football Australia, “all eyes will be on football” during the 2023 Women’s World Cup, and he thinks the event will alter the landscape of the game in his country.
The tournament begins on Thursday with New Zealand hosting Norway at Eden Park in Auckland, followed by the Matildas’ match against the Republic of Ireland at a sold-out Stadium Australia in Sydney. After two weeks of group play in Australia and New Zealand, 15 knockout games — 11 of them in Australia — will be played. The finals of the event will be held in Brisbane and Sydney on August 19 and 20, respectively, with the third-place playoff taking place at Lang Park.
According to Johnson, it will be the biggest sporting event since the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000. The teams have arrived, are in New Zealand, are in the middle of training, and the branding has been put up. The atmosphere and cultural vibe of a World Cup are in full force.
“In Australia, there is content available in five different cities. That was crucial to us back when we were designing the tournament with FIFA. We didn’t want to have just a few of East Coast cities.
Five of Australia’s largest cities are where we are, and they are all humming. And for those who were unable to attend, we are collaborating with FIFA to identify venues where members of the public may go to enjoy a unique experience while watching these games.
“Through this competition, we will witness Australia as a whole come to life, and football will be the centre of attention at this moment. We’ll look back on this time with, undoubtedly, happy memories, but it will also be remembered as a moment when the sport’s course was altered.
The Australian summer season hosts the A-League Men and A-League Women competitions, therefore they did not need to be postponed for July and August. However, the winter-based Australia Cup, semi-pro events in the National Premier League, and community competitions will continue during the WWC. They have been taken into account, though, as part of Football Australia’s plan to rule the calendar.
In a bid to maintain football’s prominence, the federation scheduled the Round of 32 of the Australia Cup, the point at which the men’s club knockout competition assumes a national scope, during the WWC’s knockout stages when rest days are observed. There will be four games on August 4 and August 9, three on August 10 and two on August 13 and three on August 14.
It’s a chance to show the rest of the world some fantastic local football, according to Johnson. Because a lot of people will be visiting Australia during that time, and they’ll all be here to watch football, right?
State-based member federations are responsible for NPL and local competition scheduling, but Johnson claimed that progress had also been made in that area.
Without getting too detailed, Johnson told ESPN that the process has been fairly collaborative and there has been synchronisation, especially when the Matildas are competing.
Meanwhile, Football Australia has updated its Legacy ’23 report, boasting of a “150% increase in sponsorship from 2020-2023” and the building of three new football state residences in South Australia, West Australia and Victoria.
Additionally, Johnson disclosed to ESPN that work was still being done on the men’s national second-tier tournament.
“We’re into the [request for proposal] phase, which is the third stage of this process,” he declared. During the Women’s World Cup, it sort of disappears, but it doesn’t imply that work isn’t getting done. Actually, it’s accelerating.
But that was a calculated action. And when we’re through, ideally we’ll have a second tier that we can launch in 2024.
