“I am delighted we are supporting a bid for the 2023 Women’s World Cup.”
With those magic words, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull confirmed on Tuesday what many people within the football community had suspected for months – Australia is aiming to host the world’s largest women’s sporting event in just six years.
While the government described their approach as “cautious”, the bid has received backing from both sides of politics, with Opposition Leader Bill Shorten tweeting this week that Labor would support the FFA’s bid to bring the tournament here.
Hosting an event of this magnitude would have untold benefits for football in Australia, from the obvious opportunity for fans to experience a tournament such as this first-hand, and the potential of the Matildas being crowned champions on home soil, to improvements in facilities at grassroots level through legacy grants and increased registrations among girls and women across the country.
This halo effect has been noticeable over the last two years, with the 2015 Asian Cup said to have brought an increase of up to 20 per cent in football participation, while research showed that the national economy benefitted from an $81-million boost in spending throughout the three-week tournament.
(AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
However, despite all the potential upsides, there seems to be trepidation from some quarters that bidding for and hosting a Women’s World Cup would only come at great cost to the Australian taxpayer. After the fiasco of Australia’s bid to host the 2022 men’s World Cup, it’s understandable that people would question the wisdom of once again getting involved with an organisation proven to be murky at best and brazenly corrupt at worst.
Fortunately for taxpayers and the FFA alike, he truth of the matter is quite the opposite. While the three last three men’s World Cups to be awarded have attracted 12 exorbitant bids from across 14 countries, just five countries have bid to host the three women’s competitions up until 2019 (Germany, Canada, Zimbabwe, France and South Korea).
Similarly, a grand total of zero stadiums have been built specifically to host Women’s World Cup games in five tournaments between 2007 and 2019, while as many as 27 venues will have been constructed to hold matches for the men’s events between 2010 and 2022 – including up to nine in Qatar, costing an estimated A$250 billion.
While construction and upgrades are already planned for venues such as ANZ Stadium and Pirtek Stadium in Sydney, Australia already has the sporting infrastructure necessary to host a major sporting event. Venues such as Hindmarsh Oval in Adelaide, AAMI Park in Melbourne and Lang Park in Brisbane are already consistent with the quality and scale of venues used in previous tournaments. These include the 20,000-seat Stade des Alpes in Grenoble, the 30,000-seat Volkswagen-Arena in Wolfsburg or the 55,000-seat BC Place in Vancouver, meaning that – in theory, at least – Australia could host a Women’s World Cup tomorrow at very little cost to the taxpayer.
This is all a pipe dream until further bids are confirmed; as things stand, only Australia and Colombia have formally launched bids to host the 2023 tournament, though Japan, New Zealand and Thailand have all expressed interest, with the host expected to be announced by FIFA in 2019.
Tokyo’s hosting of the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics could work as both a help and hindrance for Japan’s bid, while FIFA could make history by awarding the tournament to Colombia or New Zealand in what would be a first for both South America and Oceania.
Make no mistake: Australia would put on a spectacular Women’s World Cup if chosen to host the tournament in 2023, and would have a great chance of lifting the trophy at home if the current crop of players are anything to go by. For now though, all we as fans can do is watch and wait as bids come and go over the next two years, and hope that the FFA can make a strong enough case that FIFA have no choice but to award us with what would be the biggest event in Australia’s football history.
(AFP PHOTO / Peter PARKS)
Cricket
I’ve enjoyed seeing plenty of commentary in the media this week about the upcoming ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup which begins in England on 24 June with a match between England and India.
The Australian Women’s Cricket team have a couple of new faces in the squad and I’m particularly looking forward to how a bowling attack potentially featuring fast bowlers like Sarah Aley and Belinda Vakarewa handles the English conditions.
In Australia, women’s cricket has progressed significantly in the last couple of years – buoyed by the success of the WBBL, the professionalisation of the NSW Breakers and the success of the then named Southern Stars.
Women’s cricket does not owe its success to men like Chris Gayle and when I read an article this week talking about the role Gayle could potentially have in promoting women’s sport, my first thought was ‘no thanks’.
According to Hamila Khan, founder of a charity called Opening Boundaries, Gayle has a part to play in helping to increase awareness of women’s sport.
When I think about Gayle and women, I do not think of a man who recognises the importance of women as equals. Instead I think of a man who has humiliated talented female sports journalists on air, allegedly behaved inappropriately in dressing rooms and refused to apologise when his behaviour offends.
Women’s sport needs champions – but Gayle is not one of them.
GJ
Guest
His comment was in regard to AFL and Netball's relationship in the country (regional areas). My experience was that carloads of families would bundle all the kids up and travel to the next town. Boys would play juniors in the morning, girls would be playing netball on the courts next to the oval at the same time. It wasn't unusual for mum to playing on the courts later in the day and dad to be playing AFL on the oval in the afternoon. Families would stay for a beer and a BBQ after the game. Often in these towns they were the only 2 winter sports available to juniors.
Josh
Guest
Absolutely. They are in a quagmire in Western Sydney, a drastically hopeless situation they won't recover from.
Mitcher
Guest
You don't get paid for comparative results tho do you. Absolutely irrelevant.
Midfielder
Guest
northerner Thanks for the reply ... I still find it amazing that this can even be suggested...
Swanny
Guest
James. I remember both those great tournaments
Nemesis
Guest
Yes, I take your point, Mary. I sometimes get a bit carried away with my football focus... but, as you can tell, it rarely happens I'm normally very open to other sports. ;-)
northerner
Guest
I not going to pretend to have any extensive insight, but, yes, I think you're right. There's a tremendous disconnect (or so it seems to me as an outside observer) between the AFL and the state leagues, and to some extent between the VFL and the grassroots. The grassroots are really being starved of support (not unique to Aussie Rules of course - it's something you hear on a regular basis about League and Union as well). That, combined with the big demographic shifts (immigration, internal migration from the regions to the big city, a lot of country towns struggling to stay alive, and of course an aging population) has left room for the growth of other codes, and Dandy and the surrounding region are an example of football expanding into an area where the VFL would once have been undisputed king. I'm not so sure about Casey where Aussie Rules seems to remain fairly strong. And I'm even less sure about points further east or south. I think there's definitely potential for further growth: after all, you only have to look at the inroads MLS has been making in NFL/CFL territory to know that one sport doesn't fit all. I do suspect, however, that the situation for Aussie rules isn't quite as dire as Nemesis would like to think. :)
Midfielder
Guest
Sydenham Park v Altona Magic Link: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10155486904266757&id=77318021756
Grobbelaar
Roar Guru
Rick that comment is slightly slanderous.
Midfielder
Guest
Langwarrin v Malvern City Link: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1708638149168616&id=209171829115263
Grobbelaar
Roar Guru
Knocked out by the Ruskis in darts? Well that's embarrassing.
Mary Konstantopoulos
Expert
Women's football is a tremendous product that allows women to play on a global stage. But there are plenty of others too (some which may not be played as widely as football, but still which give that opportunity). Basketball? Cricket?
Midfielder
Guest
Northerner If you knowledge of the area... my question is has the AFL kinda placed far more importance in making there two expansion teams work and taken their eye off the Melbourne heartland. This has allowed the development hhhmmmm nay has provided Football with an opportunity to establish itself in the south east of Melbourne as the preferred code over AFL. ... maybe like a crack is appearing in the seemingly impregnable southern fortress..
northerner
Guest
" I think an AFL tried to move to Casey Fields a few years back. They’ve abandoned that after they realised there was no support out there." Not exactly. The Casey Demons (formerly the Scorpions) have been playing out of Casey Fields in the VFL since 2006 and were minor premiers last year. The club has been around in various configurations since 1903. Cranbourne's SE League team (est. 1888) also plays there, as does its VWFL team. I think you underestimate the degree of support for Aussie Rules there. That's not to say the area is a single code area: the Casey Comets have been around for 40 years too. Cardinia and Dandenong are a different kettle of fish: large immigrant populations in both, solid support for football, and I suspect that support for football would be strong as far down as Frankston and surrounding area. But I do think it's a bit cheeky of the bid to claim everything to the Vic/NSW border as part of their 1.2 million catchment area. Sale and Bairnsdale are hardly "outer Melbourne."
Midfielder
Guest
FFA Cup qualifier Canberra Olympic v Tuggeranong United https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1349578975138012&id=310038959092024 Always remember my link for all games and news is... please plaese visit it and get some extra traffic on it with comments. http://www.theroar.com.au/2017/05/15/missing-league-try-watching-local-club/comment-page-20/#comment-5735868
Nemesis
Guest
Middy, If there's one thing sport history has revealed is that the key to long-term growth & entry into new markets is PARTICIPATION. Sports will not grow by TV viewing. NFL is a behmoth sport in the USA. The clubs that compete are brand names known all over the sporting world. But, the Sport of Gridiron will never take off in new markets unless they can get people to play the sport. Tennis took off around the world when people started playing it in huge numbers - particularly in Eastern European nations. Cricket is big on the Subcontinent - not because people like watching the Ashes - but because people love playing the sport. Same with basketball., volley ball. Can AFL get people to play the sport outside the home markets? Well, the data says after 120 years of trying they've gone nowhere in terms of participation. And without participation, every sport eventually becomes irrelevant.
Caltex TEN & SBS support Australian Football
Guest
Nemesis - I was reading that, the AFL have squandered $ 21m on WSG and eleven of the other AFL clubs finished in the red. This is just going to get a lot worse with SE Melbourne on the rise embracing football, the game is set to take off next season. I certainly hope 'Team11' is in with a shot, when expansion is on the radar again with the FFA.
Justin Kearney
Roar Rookie
And that is the difference between a code which ony exists in one country and a monolith like football. Football grows through its own momentum. Afl can only grow through exhaustive promotion and it knows it. Back in 2003 rugby union had that moment where via the world cup it could have really taken off here. But that moment was lost and is possibly gone forever.
Midfielder
Guest
N I see it kinda like this. The AFL is in what marketers call the mature phase of a product life cycle…. Meaning its almost impossible to maintain existing levels of support, and loss of market is expected, share especially if better competition is establishing… this is the position of the AFL in the southern states… The idea then to expand in the northern states and hope growth in the northern states is greater than the losses in the southern states…
covfefe
Guest
"Let a pro step in here people." I never knew you turned tricks Rick. Just when you thought you knew a person.