Rarely has Australian football experienced such a collective ‘stacks on’ as it did late last week.
The successful trans-Tasman 2023 Women’s World Cup bid saw mayhem and excitement on both sides of the ditch and just about anyone who considers themselves to be anyone climbed aboard in the hope of riding the football wave.
The corporate sector, numerous politicians and a swathe of media organisations normally lukewarm to football, embraced the news and appeared hell bent on ensuring that Australia knew two clear things about them.
Firstly, as press release after press release arrived, the authors were determined to establish their support of the tournament and the Matildas right from the opening bell. Secondly, they were insistent in informing us that they have always supported the game and will continue to do so.
As ex-Matildas, female players and the vast majority of passionate football fans jumped for joy or shed a quiet and proud tear, the predictable bandwagon jumpers were out in force.
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian almost came to tears in her heart felt congratulations on Friday morning and federal opposition leader Anthony Albanese waxed lyrical in his tweet, “You can’t be what you can’t see – and a whole generation of young girls won’t forget seeing this. The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is coming to Australia and New Zealand.”
With just days remaining before the final decision was to be made, the national leaders of both Australia and New Zealand decided to get in early.
Well known Cronulla Sharks fan and now apparent football lover Scott Morrison produced a joint statement with the woman in the shaky isles who increasingly looks like the most re-electable current world leader.
Jacinda Ardern may well have taken Morrison on head to head in Sydney some months back in a stunning and intimidating press conference that had our PM squirming, yet the statement celebrating football and their support for the quest to bring the world’s biggest women’s sporting event to Australia/New Zealand could not have been more uniformed or cohesive.
“An Australia-New Zealand FIFA Women’s World Cup would embody our passion for women’s football and proud commitment to equality and fairness, creating a profound and enduring legacy for the future of women’s football within the region and beyond.
“We would host a tournament FIFA can be proud of in every way possible: technical excellence, record-breaking crowds, commercial certainty and a warm embrace from our 200 different cultures.
“Football is the game that connects us all. We sincerely hope that an Australia-New Zealand FIFA Women’s World Cup™ will bring us all together again in 2023, when we can all celebrate humanity, community and unity through football.”
As we basked in the sheer joy of the decision, the words “commercial certainty” should not have escaped us. In short, newspapers, television networks, politicians and corporate entities have already begun queuing up to ensure their piece of the pie is assured come 2023.
Whilst some might call me cynical, the reality is that in excess of one billion viewers means there is some serious ‘moolah’ to be made by somebody somewhere.
With an awareness of the rather loose moral compass that many politicians, media organisations and corporate entities use, there is no doubt that football, and the women’s version in particular, will become the flavour of the month in Australia for the next 36.
Good luck to them all. Football is indeed a business, a potential money spinner for the host country and an event that can produce and provide improved infrastructure and benefits for the domestic game.
Hopefully, as a football writer, I might pick up an extra gig or two in the lead up to the event, as Women’s World Cup content is sought by all and sundry.
Such an opportunity will not bring in the mega bucks destined to come the way of state governments, merchandise sellers or ticketing agencies, yet would be much appreciated by my mortgage.
Yet, as many position themselves to profit and benefit as significantly as they can from the biggest sporting event to hit Australia’s shores since the 2000 Olympics, I am hoping to focus more on the romantic.
Amidst the frantic game of musical chairs that has already begun, the symbolic relevance of our Matildas challenging for a World Cup on home soil should be the bedrock of connection between the Australian sporting public and the tournament.
Jenna McCormick celebrates a Matildas goal. (AAP Image/David Gray)
I’m sure there were many cynics who felt somewhat cold with and uninspired by the announcement last Friday; people no doubt unimpressed with women’s football and women’s sport in general.
The true significance of the tournament could be in changing such sentiments, just as the 2015 Asian Cup captured the cultures and passions of the Asian region and played out as a sporting and social success.
Those riding the current bandwagon are clever enough to realise the potential ramifications of the event, from both a populist and financial perspective.
Others whose concerns lie more within the game itself will remain focused on exactly what a down under World Cup might do for the domestic game, the women who play it and Australia’s constant struggle to establish itself as a respected football nation.
c
Roar Rookie
don't worry they never will
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
#c I know you're taking the p!55.....but.... I wish - they never talk about the AFL International Cup and ironically the 7th instalment was due for this year which meant 2023 would've been the 8th instalment. Alas - SEN can be a little 'mainstream insular' at times......
c
Roar Rookie
I'm sure if it was the 2023 AFL World Cup being held in Australia they would find something to talk about more regularly
Jacqui
Guest
I really hope the legacy for women's football and women's participation in all aspects of the game -that was a promised legacy of this bid - doesn't get de-railed by usual football interests. Those interests who have historically put women's football down the list of priorities, coming out of the woodwork to suck up any oxygen there is for their own usual barrows and self promotion. A politician politicking I find much less egregious than this behaviour.
Sydneysideliner
Roar Rookie
Great article Stuart. There's a bit of a chicken-egg situation facing the game in this country: we need the exposure of major events to attract interest and investment, but we also need investment to attract or participate in major events. The circuit-breaker for the last major reform of the game in the 2000s was hosting the Olympics and then the 2002 WC taking place in our timezone and getting casuals and politicians wondering why we weren't there. That led to the Crawford Report, renaming and Lowy takeover of FFA, AFC shift, A-league, W-league and major commercial interest, which had lasted up until the last couple of years. As much as we hate to admit, that outside interest took the game to the next level commercially. We've hosted two Asian Cups, which got the casuals interested in us winning things but little else. Hopefully a World Cup will be another leap forward in interest and investment...
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
That email.....re the 2005 article was it re a really grubby sports broadcasting scene..... As well as holding the AFL rights at the time, Seven also held the rights to soccer matches. The executive in charge of C7, Steven Wise, lamented in one email that the AFL was not giving Seven credit that "we have secured the soccer rights and suffocated the sport, much to the chagrin of its supporters (by giving AFL games preference)". ----is that what you're still angry about? That a C7 exec acknowledged that they were putting AFL matches ahead of at the time the NSL? Mate - you do realise the AFL broadcasting rights were crucial to the viability of C7......the NSL wasn't. It was a C7 executive and we don't know to whom the email was directed. Heck - the Wikipedia page asserts it was the C7 intention once the rights had been secured. The giving preference to AFL games was completely in keeping with the business model. The NSL would have been 'suffocated' on Foxtel up against the NRL. As it was - it was suffocated on C7 up against the AFL. It's not hard to fathom. That you are still griping about it 20 years later........good grief!!!
Garry Jr
Guest
Is it a medical reason?
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
I had a look at a couple of articles looking at Brazil-Russia (of course this is re the mens event......not sure at all of the economics of the womens and that's the main challenge I lay upon your broad shoulders!!!). This one has a salient point given the current Covid crisis. Extact below....... Russia paying more - and hoping for tourism While the 2018 is likely to be a money-printing machine for FIFA, Russia will be in the red, at least in the medium term. For Russian president Vladimir Putin, the most expensive World Cup of all time is an object of global political prestige. Officially, the record sum of ten billion euros has been spent on stadiums and infrastructure, but unofficially it’s probably significantly more. Investments in the preparatory years since 2013 contributed one percent to Russia’s gross domestic product (GDP). Russian plans also assume that tourism will generate additional revenue of two to three billion euros over the next five years. Well.......that is pretty well blow out the door for the foreseeable future. The reality too - in Brazil the costs out of the public purse were massive. Reportedly $15 billion (USD) and they got a FIFA payment of about $453 mill and a legacy payment of $100 mill. Chicken feed compared to the expenditure out of the public purse. The FIFA WC risks being the greatest con on Earth - for the host nation. FIFA controls broadcast rights, marketing/sponsorship and ticket sales. All venues are 100% clean for FIFA....that's where there's very little allure to 'financial' stadiums in Australia during their peak revenue generating season (AFL venues I'm thinking of here). The fact that FIFA seems to have similar requirements for the WWC explains why whilst there might be a WWC 'bandwagon'.......there doesn't appear to be a 'gravy train'. Anyway - I look forward to seeing what you dig up. Cheers, Mick.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
What a lovely compliment Anush. Thank you.Have a crack and get something published on the Roar. Football wise that is, I know you are also keen on your cricket.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
"Appealing, aggressive, tough and entertaining soccer", wow, they nailed it and probably without ever having watched a match or knowing a single player in the squad. Okay, I'm sure they have heard of Sam.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
Just like the local papers mid. Well, those that are left. One journo covering all sporting content, both junior and senior, boys and girls. Rugby, tennis, golf, football and motor sport writers becoming things of the past, with the remaining staff then forced to cover events of which they often know nothing.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
They will probably attempt to emulate the Olympics, where Sydney was one of, if not the first nation, to turn a profit on the event. The government money was repaid in full as I understand it and state govs will be looking to do the same this time around. Just think of the infrastructure and facilities that can be bought, leased or rented. The spaces, equipment, personnel, band width, content etc. That's where the money can be made. FIFA clean up with the rights yet plenty of other areas to capitalise. As you say, tourism will be monumental! Great for small business as well.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
Yep, same as Russia. I had phone calls from the BBC asking, "are you in Russia?" Being here in Australia means we can all answer yes. Should be a good six month lead up to the event. Team profiles, stadiums, the draw, cultural aspects of the country.......plenty to explore.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
It is now! Thanks, might take a while though.
Anush
Roar Rookie
Great work! I get inspiration to write from reading your articles!
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
It's still 3 years away. There's daily, weekly sports news cycles that mean that the announcement was great and then off to the backburner until something more tangible. What do you expect or want?
c
Guest
yes there is a reason for that gazza
Rodger King
Roar Rookie
There is a reason for that, they make their money from anything AFL related. So they try and sell us a sports radio station but it is a branch of the AFL in fact. so don't expect too much 'free' exposure from them.
jupiter53
Roar Pro
Much better to have bandwagon jumpers than no band wagon. But if the standard of some of the journalism in the Saturday Australian was indicative of what is to come, then I am going to get quite frustrated. [I know, serves me right for reading the Australian]. In particular, the editorial commented that the Matildas " [play]...appealing, aggressive, tough and entertaining soccer". How very cliched Aussie! When I watched the Matildas in their World Cup qualifiers in February/March, the qualities that thrilled me were their skills and their clever attacking team play, in addition to those long term qualities of determination and wanting to dominate. As everyone on this forum knows, football depends on touch [the whole range from delicate to devastatingly powerful], subtlety, deception and team co-ordination in attack and defence. Toughness and aggression is everywhere in women's football. What will give the Matildas the chance of winning a World Cup is being more skilful and clever than the best of the rest.
Garry Jr
Guest
Is it possible for a football article on the Roar to accumulate more than 20 or so comments before someone needlessly raises the AFL? Or is it just an inevitable rule of this forum - as football comments increase, the likelihood of a comment mentioning AFL increases exponentially?