Response to simple question exposes Australia’s weak spot

There’s an enormous international sporting event kicking off in Australia tonight, but Aussies don’t have a clue what it is.

“If it was the proper game, there would be flags everywhere”

That’s the sentiment on the ground in Sydney just hours ahead of kick-off for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup tonight.

The tournament, starting at 7.30pm at Stadium Australia in the city’s Olympic Park,

is pegged to be the biggest event on Australia’s sporting calendar since the Olympics.

One million tickets have been sold for the games taking place in Australia, without counting co-host New Zealand.

And yet, despite some of the globe’s most talented sportswomen being in town for the competition, no one really seems to care.

The sad reality became clear when news.com.au approached members of the public to ask if they knew what major international sporting event was about to start.

“A what event? Oh, women’s something? Is it the football?” one gentleman responded.

“I don’t know. Is it like, the women’s something?” a female pedestrian said.

This man said there was ‘nothing’ around promoting the game.

This woman had vaguely heard about it.

Another man said he had absolutely no idea what was happening, but had a guess after being reminded of the giant soccer ball on display in Martin Place.

“Oh, no yes, the Women’s World Cup? I’ve heard it through friends that are going to be attending,” he said, before adding “no one knows” about it.

“There’s nothing around. But if it was the proper World Cup, there would be flags everywhere,” he suggested.

The event was vaguely memorable for another gentleman, who initially said “no” when asked if he knew what big sport competition was happening in Sydney tonight.

“Oh actually, I’ve seen the football, is it the football?” he said.

Others confessed they were only familiar with the Women’s World Cup because they had heard friends or colleagues talking about it.

Among those approached however were some diehard sport fans who made no secret of their excitement for the match.

There has been hefty criticism in the lead-up to the tournament over Sydney failing in generating the hype many feel the prestigious game deserves.

There’s barely any promotional material in the city – no ads across buses or trams, no flags or banners, and certainly no (unaffiliated) businesses going out of their way to support the game.

Less than five kilometres from where some of Australia’s biggest talents will compete in the world’s biggest sporting event, there was this week barely a lick of excitement in the air.

InsideOut PR founder Nicole Reaney suspected the low interest had a lot to do with men traditionally playing and consuming sport more than women.

This gentleman said he had no idea about the tournament.

“Male athletes have been idolised with huge sponsorship deals from major brands and media attraction. The hype created then leads to higher viewership,” she told news.com.au.

She suggested interest in the Matildas seemed low because Australians were more familiar with the men’s team, the Socceroos.

Ms Reaney argued there would “absolutely” be more happening around the city if the Socceroos were playing.

“But I believe this is due to the familiarity of the Socceroos versus the Matildas as well as the proportion of male to female players of the sport. But it is growing – according to Football Federation Australia over 20 per cent of all participants in the game are female and the upward trend is reportedly soaring. Globally, FIFA plans to double the number of women soccer players to 60 million by 2026,” she said.

In a similar way to how horse races are glorified with Opera House lighting displays, she argued “surely some admiration of our female athletes can be elevated more into public spaces”.

There should be “people wearing Matildas merch and promotional goodie bags, big brands or government facilities backing the sport, large billboards or displays featuring the team as well as larger scale viewing events – like the Domain as an example”, she added.

“This is a sport everyone can get behind.”

Keep the conversation going, email [e-mail]