Victory for Matildas and Ferns

Scott Morrison and Jacinda Ardern may have been a touch offside on Friday morning in getting ahead of the play by declaring the 2023 Women’s World Cup “no doubt the best … that has ever been staged”. Perhaps it was simply the euphoria of Australia and New Zealand beating Colombia in a shootout for the right to stage the tier-one soccer spectacular. Australians still feel pain from an injury sustained in a previous FIFA bidding process. The victory will inspire the next generation of Matildas and Football Ferns to be like our Sam Kerr and Kiwi Ali Riley, and perform on the global stage. Such a grand tournament will promote female participation in the most popular football code on the planet. Soccer is a fast-growing sport for women in both countries. Officials here hope the Cup also will help drive a goal of achieving a 50-50 split of male and female participation in the game by 2027.

Australia and New Zealand have co-hosted, to wide acclaim, major events such as the first Rugby World Cup in 1987, International Cricket Council Men’s World Cup in 2015 and Rugby League World Cup in 2017. As the elated prime ministers said in a joint statement, the event “is a huge positive for the footballing and sporting industries on both sides of the Tasman as we recover and rebuild from COVID-19”. Although taking different approaches to lockdown, Australia and New Zealand have been among the most successful countries in managing the coronavirus pandemic. Our medical achievements have hastened the likelihood of a “travel bubble” between our two countries, but it is still an administrative work in progress. The organisers believe the event will provide a $500m economic boost in host cities and surrounding tourist regions. While there is still a way to go for gender equality — each week we are confronted by our lapses, past and present — the Cup will be a spur, if not a reckoning, for evolution in equality.

The Cup also should build the profile and financial stability of women’s sport more generally off the back of lucrative broadcast rights, increased grassroots and elite development funds, and more public support. Certainly, the feats of the Matildas and their high-profile pay-equity push have helped women in sport. So has the success of netball’s Diamonds, cricket’s Southern Stars and basketball’s Opals. The AFL Women’s competition, four seasons in, is building an audience. A new survey revealed 2.78 million people watch the AFLW on television, an increase of 15 per cent on last year. The “AsOne AUNZ2023” bid emphasised both nations’ world-leading moves in equality and fairness.

It will be the first time a women’s World Cup is played in the southern hemisphere. Football Federation Australia president Chris Nikou said FIFA had “made not one but two countries extremely happy” as the trans-Tasman bid, by far the more technically superior, prevailed 22 votes to 13. The tournament will be played in seven Australian and five New Zealand cities. With both countries home to migrants from all over the world, the 32 national teams in competition will not be short of fans. But our Matildas, who already have won a huge following at home for years of appealing, aggressive, tough and entertaining soccer, will have an edge. The World Cup will be a noisy, colourful and emotional ride. Amid the pandemic gloom, its human and economic devastation, it feels good to welcome a joyful result. There’s more work to be done on the field and off, but Australia and New Zealand should savour a big FIFA win and enjoy the next three years of anticipation.