Women’s World Cup: Unity Celebration on Sydney Harbour Bridge

The Sydney Harbour Bridge has turned bright green and gold as thousands gather to celebrate the world’s largest stand-alone women’s sporting event.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge has turned bright green and gold as thousands gather to celebrate the world’s largest stand-alone women’s sporting event.

The city’s most iconic landmark was on Sunday morning transformed into a football “festival” as FIFA marks just 25 days until the Women’s World Cup, hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

Flocks of fans marched across the monument to the tournament’s official anthem “Unity Beat” from 7am in a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”.

Despite the early eight-degree chill and gusty winds on the bridge, football lovers were all smiles and full of life as they rose with the sun, cheered, danced and chanted.

Australian sports stars past and present joined the young female footballers of the future and 8000 supporters in the walk.

Thousands of fans walked over the Harbour Bridge on Sunday. Picture: Monique Harmer

The “Unity Celebration” highlights the first ever co-hosted women’s World Cup and the 9th and largest women’s World Cup event in history, set to kick off in July.

The event, which will see Sydney come to life for 11 games involving 32 nations, is on track to be the most attended stand-alone women’s sporting event in history, with more than one million tickets sold.

Sunday morning’s proceedings were kick started with an offical smoking ceremony lead by Uncle Les before the official unveiling of the “unity jersey” and performances from African and Irish dance groups.

Tourism Minister John Graham joined Football Australia CEO James Johnson and New Zealand Football president Johanna Wood for the “historic moment”.

The Unity Celebration started with a smoking ceremony. Picture: Monique Harmer

“This is going to be a huge moment for Sydney and Australia,” Mr Graham said.

“Australian football fans are a tough crowd used to getting up at three and four – to have this in our timezone is going to be big.”

Mr Johnson said “the game is transforming here right around us.”

Head of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Rhiannon Martin, said being under a month away from the first match “is quite nerve wracking.”

“The stadiums are in a really great state of readiness. The pitches are looking great,” she said.

“We can look forward to some fantastic football.”

Fans have snapped up more than one million tickets for World Cup games. Picture: Monique Harmer

The highest -apped Matilda and women’s football great Julie Dolan said the game has gone “from zero to warp speed”.

“We’ve gone from baking cakes to get funds to go to tournaments and now we’ve sold over a million tickets and so if that’s not exponential growth, nothing is,” she said.

Traffic is being diverted away from the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Cahill expressway until 10.30am with motorists warned to expect delays.

Originally published as Women’s World Cup: Unity Celebration on Sydney Harbour Bridge