Congratulations to Spain – winners of the best FIFA Women’s World Cup yet – and to everyone who turned out across Australia and New Zealand to make the tournament such a roaring success.
La Roja ran out deserved 1-0 winners over England in a tense finale at Stadium Australia – despite England goalkeeper Mary Earps saving a nervy Jennifer Hermoso penalty midway through the second half – with FIFA later claiming Earps did not leave her line early, even though the video footage clearly suggested she did.
Spain’s win was all the more remarkable given their chaotic build-up to the tournament, which at one point saw no less than 15 key players withdraw from national team contention in protest at the ongoing employment of coach Jorge Vilda.
In the end it was Vilda who led Spain to World Cup glory, and the tournament will be remembered for the packed stadiums – just under 2 million fans attended the 64 matches – and joyous atmospheres that greeted each and every game.
And while it takes a small army to pull off a tournament of this scale, plenty of credit must go to Football Australia’s chief executive James Johnson – who surely ranks as one of the shrewdest operators ever to be involved in the game in Australia.
It will be a huge blow to Football Australia if Johnson departs to take up a role with FIFA – as the rumour mill would have it – even if it would leave Australia with an inside man within the corridors of power in Zürich.
And having proved to FIFA that Australia can successfully host a World Cup, we should seriously consider submitting another joint bid with New Zealand to host the men’s edition in 2034.
Yet there are a few lessons that should be learned before doing so.
There was an eight-minute period between Sam Kerr’s stunning equaliser and Lauren Hemp’s goal for England in the semi-final at Stadium Australia that said much about Australia’s tournament.
It was a period when Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson needed to react by bringing on some fresh legs to try and build on the momentum of Kerr’s goal and stem the wave of England attacks.
Instead, Gustavsson did what he had done for the entire tournament – rely on a visibly fatigued starting 11 – and when Ellie Carpenter and Clare Hunt failed to deal with a route-one ball over the top, the contest was as good as over.
Does Gustavsson deserve to stay on as Matildas coach?
Has TG done enough to earn a contract extension? (Photo by Mark Metcalfe – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
More to the point, would better squad rotation have yielded more than just Kerr’s solitary goal in the 300 minutes of football the Matildas played from the quarter-final onwards?
Merely asking the question doesn’t automatically make anyone an enemy of the game – even though this was a tournament where the sentiments of rusted-on football fans sometimes collided with those for whom action on the pitch was of secondary importance.
Nor should we instinctively trust politicians who were happy to bask in the limelight once it became clear the World Cup was a juggernaut that had captured the public’s attention.
It was the federal government who announced an unprecedented $200 million in funding towards women’s sport on the back of the Matildas’ record-breaking fourth-place finish.
That’s great news for women everywhere, but less impressive for the round-ball game when sports like Aussie rules and cricket invariably put their hands out for cash needed at every level of the football pyramid.
(Photo by Russell Freeman/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Fresh from serving as a Legacy ‘23 ambassador at the tournament, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk went so far as to reward a state in desperate need of investment with… a statue.
We can’t deny this was a World Cup that leaves us with so much to celebrate.
But like coaches who should know when to make substitutions, defenders who should know when to make fouls, and politicians who should have been switched-on enough to predict the popularity of a tournament that wasn’t even on TV’s anti-siphoning list, there are likewise lessons to learn.
Starting with us shedding some of our naïveté around how football actually works, and becoming a bona fide contender in the world game.
Kangas
Roar Rookie
Great post Rodger. Still get tears thinking about Courtney vine and McKenzie in that shootout
Grem
Roar Rookie
Oh yeah! The NRL is the best in the world. From that little pool of players in 2 states it produces star after star. It’s amazing how it can do that. It must be genetics. Those NRL players have shown they are superior in intellect as well. It doesn’t just puss all over the A Leagues, it also pusses over all those rugby league nations like Papua New Guinea and …. Perhaps, instead of pusses, you should say $hits over other competitions. With players like Julian O’Neill and Nate Miles, you have some famous $hitters there! Anyway, you came on here to denigrate football and you finish on the same note. Why do you come on the football site? Go back to the rugby league section and inflict them with your opinions. And enjoy your beloved Eels – the home of the Hayne Plane, Brett Finch, Semi Radrada, Junior Paulo, Dylan Brown – all stars of league. That special genetic pool!
Rodger King
Roar Rookie
A good read, thanks Mike. I sit back now in the afterglow, reliving the glorious moments of what I regard as the most successful World Cup for women, ever held. There were so many for this football-loving geriatric. The brick wall that was called Macca who stood tall against a wave of French shots that a lesser person might not have kept out. A turn, a dip of a shoulder, a 40-yard pass to a running teammate, who incidentally, gave her the ball to start with, that in itself should earn Mary a starting spot at City, if they even bothered to watch it. Then of course that goal, OMG, but then again, it is what Sam does. If anyone hasn’t seen it yet there is another one similar when playing for Chelsea, where she traps it on her chest, turns and volley’s past the best Goalkeeper in the world, according to some. Only to win the League mind you, no pressure. Most are not surprised by my bias towards the Matildas, after all, they are my team. But I was stunned to watch Brazil produce a bit of footballing magic in Adelaide, as only the Brazilians can do. Or watch Spain dance the ball around playing keepy-offs against every other team, except Japan, no sorry, they did try that, but Japan had the answer, not once but 4 times. If I was stunned, I wonder how the Spanish felt. I saw goalkeepers from Europe, from Africa, from the America’s and of course from our own region of Asia, defy gravity by sailing through the air and straining every muscle to tip a ball around a post or over the bar. What amazed me more than anything, most people didn’t see the splendour of what they did, but just saw it as ‘normal’. I watch emerging nations and thought, hell, how good would these players be if they were given the same opportunities and treatment as their brothers? But the best feeling of all was getting into the ground at Hindmarsh, and seeing the family groups, in their thousands, young girls asking their mum and dad the hard questions, “Why can’t we see the Matildas in Adelaide,” or watching in awe as a little 7 or 8 year old saying “Dad, I want to play soccer,” OK, we didn’t get to see the Matildas play live, and until we have a suitably sized proper football stadium, we most likely never will. Despite what all the nay-sayers are saying, Hindmarsh isn’t big enough. Our Matildas sell out a 77k stadium, not once, not even twice but three times. So let the arguments and debating begin. Now we wait, the ALW is around the corner as are the men. Who amongst us will dare to dream, dream that the girls will now need, through the sheer necessity of spectator numbers, for them to play in stadiums like our Hindmarsh Stadium? And who will applaud Courtney Vine when she steps out for Sydney City, this ALW player, who walked the long 50-yard walk up to a penalty spot, with 75k fans waiting with bated breath for her to take the 19th spot kick to send our girls through to a World Cup semi-final. I for one will stand and applaud and feel privileged to watch her play.
Blue007
Roar Rookie
I really should take the Australian Sports Commission’s lead (what would they know) and use the Ausplay single-source participation data currency used by Governments and the sport sector. Why does the Government and the sport sector use the ASC Ausplay data you might ask? Well, some will say it is because the aus rules have already been caught red-handed, over-inflating playing numbers in Sydney by up to 200% ! Others might say it is because the aus rules were caught red-handed again, over-inflating their playing numbers a second time, this time… wait for it…by 700% ! In a shameful attempt to claim fields already being used for Football ! But others again might say it was the time the aus rules decided to be really cunning and sly, by including school kids attending their 5 session after-school aus kick program in their numbers. Football responded the next year saying, well if you want to include 5 after-school sessions as playing aus rules, then you really should include thousands of kids and adults playing indoor football competitions. You say you know all about Ausplay, but then blatantly disregard and deliberately downplay the data. The Ausplay data is much more comprehensive and includes ALL Participants rather than a selected few that clearly, some will use to suit their own agenda. I will also rely on the 2023 data as well Mike, you know the latest data used by the ASC. The current state of play shows once again, that yes, Football is more than twice the size of the aus rules. You have tried to downplay the Ausplay stats to suit your own agenda, I get that and understand that. But by any way, shape or size you like to look at or interpret the Australian Sports Commission’s Ausplay figures, you will come up with the very same outcome. Australian Football is indeed more than twice the size of the aus rules and it is growing rapidly.
Grem
Roar Rookie
It might be time to pass the baton to someone else to argue with Brett. It does get tiring!
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
I know all about Ausplay and the Australian Sports Commission. 23,600 is their survey target sample size. Imagine basing the Australian election on that?? You wouldn't - would you. I also know why for example Netball Australia promote the 'participation' numbers that Ausplay reports.......and don't report their internal data on registered participants. Hard to find - a 2013 submission to Treasury they reported 340,000 registered participants while referencing the Ausplay assertion of 1.2 million participants. Claiming around 412,000 registered in 2020. I'll agree on that Ausplay is very good for trending. That's what surveys are good for. Same with OzTam/RegTam for TV ratings. Recently Netball via Ausplay has come in around 964,000......so.....let's hazard a guess that registrations have dropped about 25% too???? I'd rather the actuals on registrations though. Wouldn't you?? The Ausplay numbers are indicative, okay for trending - but not absolute values in any way. The ASC numbers show 115,400 men played netball in 2022........do you believe that one??? What we've seen with the FFA/FA annual reporting is a move to try to capture that 'grey' area of 'participation' from non- registered 'participants to pump up their numbers. The clear example is - in 2015 - registered participants (outdoor) - was 499,361 and the total participation 1,118,911. By 2018, outdoor was 527,650 (+28K) and yet total participation 1,851,683 (+732K). Where was the increase? It was Community Events and Promo Experiences; and School Programs. Oh - - that and also counting Refs/Coaches and Volunteers in the total. You might be happy to hang your hat on CE&EP of 550K.....I suspect they are showing up in the AusPlay stats....it's the registered participants that's the key metric for sports organisations - that's the bread and butter. And then 2022 - outdoor was 539,925 (up 38K on 2015). And CE&EP was down over 320K and total participation was down at 1.528 million. That's actuals. Ausplay annual target sample size is 20,000 adults and 3,600 children. Australia is not an homogenous society. That said - the ALP is in power across all mainland states.......
Blue007
Roar Rookie
Oh dear.. 17.16 Million Aussies just watched the Matilda’s play. The Wednesday before 11.15 Million Aussies watched the Matilda’s play. Pssst Brett… I’ve got a secret for you, half of them watch Football every week here in Australia. But whatever you do Brett, do NOT admit this to anyone! Keep it to yourself Brett, because believe it or not, there are still some dinosaurs out there that still think the only way you can watch sport is on free-to -air tv. ))
Blue007
Roar Rookie
Haha… you can try to spin it as much as you like and try to belittle it as much as you can, I think Australian Sports fans can all understand your frustration. So here are the hard facts to reassure you - Ausplay is funded and led by the Australian Sports Commission Ausplay is the single-source participation data currency for Government and the sports sector Ausplay helps the sport sector better understand the participation landscape and identify strategies to grow participation 2023 Ausplay data shows that more Aussies are out there playing and watching Football than any of the other codes and by a substantial margin 2023 Ausplay data in fact shows that there are twice as many Aussies playing and watching Football than any of the other codes, including the aus rules code 2023 Ausplay data shows that Football in the last 12 months has grown at a faster rate than it did in the previous 6 years If you find that you are still having some difficulty coping with the Ausplay data from the Australian Sports Commission, I don’t know, maybe try sticking your fingers in your ears and screaming.
chris1
Roar Rookie
Who said anything about ‘one true sport’? It’s laughable how people like you quickly revert to “one true sport” and “you all hate other sports”. I want equitable and fair funding. Read what I wrote if you’re going to respond to me otherwise go and watch the 18th replay of some AFL match played over the weekend. You have so little to watch and read about in your game you have to waste your/our time coming on here.
Cavaquinho
Roar Rookie
The average time for a footballer to have the ball before being tackled is not much than a second, for strikers it is less than a second, so free kicks do help a lot in resetting the team and stalling the relentless pressure. I digress, but, in fact, you could argue that the team that is pressing doesn’t want to give an unnecessary free kick to their opponents and ease the pressure. They want to tackle cleanly and win the ball or intercept an errant pass. It was noticeable in the match versus Sweden that the Australian tackling efficiency seen earlier in the WWC declined significantly and it was Sweden predominately winning clean tackles and gaining possession. It seemed uncanny to me the number of times Swedish players tackled and won the ball while Australian players tackled and the Swedish player retained possession.
AR
Roar Rookie
"These other sports that will try and rail road footballs growth by saying “we need money too!”" Should people who support hockey or tennis or surfing not be allowed to ask for government money? This 'one true sport' dogma is truly bizarre.
AR
Roar Rookie
You compare a World Cup final in Sydney (from the biggest WWC ever) to a Sunday AFL game featuring 2 Melbourne clubs? Man you guys give the AFL way too much credit.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
LFC have signed Tegan Micah, our third keeper with loads of potential.
Brett Allen
Roar Rookie
Not in this country they aren’t. Every metric indicates that the NRL & AFL crap all over the A League. And that is what football is measured by in this country, and you can’t get away from it. Who is playing doesn’t matter to the average Australian sports lover. The NRL & AFL dominate the nightly sports bulletins and the back pages. Football gets the leftovers, and why, because the media aren’t fools, they know what’s bankable and what’s not in this country. It’s not up for debate. The A League can’t even get a decent FTA deal.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
Which do you prefer the host pays the costs and the IOC makes the profit. For example all the flights and accomodation of the teams were paid by FIFA. Olympic and COmmonwealth games the host pays for it all. Also depends how you look at the prize money which was 150 million US which is about 220 million Australian . That the gravy on top went to the women players 80% of whom at the world cup would be on below minimum wage here .
Blue007
Roar Rookie
I’m loving your attitude change Brett, it is all the evidence that Football fans need. Clean-up in Aisle 7….dairy.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
Gielnik she is listed as playing for Ottawa Fury, thats not a NWSL club.
Blue007
Roar Rookie
Yeah, it certainly gives Football fans a good belly laugh watching some constantly try to constrain and define Australian Football as just this bit or just that bit Brett. It’s true that Football here in Australia is more than twice the size of all the other codes. But Australian Football is so much more than just our more than 2 Million participants or just our ALM or ALW competitions here in Oz. You only have to look at our Matilda’s performances in this Women’s Football World Cup to see that. A 4th place finish from 211 competing countries was an impressive and inspiring performance for our rising crop of stars around the country. But Football is much more than that, our leading male and female footballers are playing their football professionally right across the world. You saw plenty of their teammates playing in the Qtr, Semi and Final games of this WC. Aussies watch them play in the Women’s Super League on Optus Sport each week. Our Socceroos are playing in England, Germany Scotland, US, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, South Korea, Japan and China. Ange is coaching one of the top 10 richest football clubs in the world Tottenham Hotspurs FC. Kevin Muscat is coaching FC Yokohama in Japan. Aussies are watching more Football than any of the other codes every week.
Brett Allen
Roar Rookie
He’d be a fool to do so, because as sure as night follows day, the vast majority of eyeballs in the eastern states will be on the NRL. Why would I be scared ? The NRL pusses all over the A League in its sleep.
Brett Allen
Roar Rookie
No they haven’t, not permanently. Watch your nightly sports bulletins, the NRL & AFL finals will get top billing, Rugby Union will get some more air time leading up to and during the RWC, football will be relegated to where it always is, as a footnote. The WWC will give football a brief caffeine hit, but like my morning triple espresso, the effects will wear off. It is inevitable, history tells us that. You can luv in denial all you want, but by Christmas time it will be a distant memory.