Legacy of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup

The record-breaking 2023 FIFA Women's world cup hosted across Australia and New Zealand provided a monumental moment for women's sport in Australia but what is next?

Sam Kerr celebrates her ridiculous goal against England in the Semi Finals (Credit: Reuters)

The world cup had record viewership in Australia and around the world with the Matildas Semi Final being the most viewed program ever in Australia. More viewers than Cathy Freeman in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and definitely more than the AFL Grand Final with about 3 times more viewership. So what does this mean? On the surface, it shows that Aussies love watching our "TIllies" but there are a few more reasons why the 2023 Women's World Cup was such a success.

Reason #1: The Tillies are good… like really good

A key reason why Aussies kept coming back to watch the Matildas is because they are actually really good. Whilst many who have been tracking the women's game alreadyknew this, playing on the world stage gave the players an opportunity to show just how good they are - spoiler, they're pretty bloody good.

Whilst this is no surprise for some with many of the team playing at some of the biggest clubs in the world including Chelsea, Manchester City, Everton and Lyon, the everyday Australian was yet to see these players in action. Many have heard of Sam Kerr and was arguably a household name pre-tournament but players such as Caitlin Ford, young gun Mary Fowler and Mackenzie Arnold really made a name for themselves during the tournament.

The 'brand' played by the Matildas was exciting, end to end and attacking stuff which was appreciated by the ~11 million viewers who tuned into the semi-final.

Reason #2: The story

The Matildas did not just get good overnight, it has been a 20 year journey for Football Federation Australia to get to this point. The Tillies have gone from playing on local pitches in front of 100s of people and handing out flyers for people to watch just 15 years ago to now selling out the biggest stadiums in the world.

Sam Kerr grew up with the dream to become the first ever woman to play for Manchester United because the pathways in women's football were simply not there. Now, young girls growing up playing football have excellent role models such as Sam Kerr with the FFA providing a clear pathway for women in the game. The numbers in junior girls football is very strong showing that the Matildas future is in safe hands.

Reason #3: The Marketing

The marketing by FIFA, the FFA, the Matildas, Adidas and Commbank was elite. It made the Australian public feel strongly connected to the Tillies by giving the players and team a platform to showcase their skills, share who they are as people and where they come from allowing the Aussie public to connect with the team.

Along the streets of Sydney, there were murals, fan zones, banners and pop up shops which let the locals know that the Tillies and women's football is here and my god, it is here in a big way. In a time where it is so hard for everyone to agree on anything, the marketing gave the Aussies a chance to finally come together and get behind something as one.

So… what is next?

Take #1: Rise of the English Super League

19 year old sensation, Mary Fowler playing for Manchester City in the English Super League (Credit: Optus Sport)

The World Cup has increased the stardom of the Matildas players in the country. I think there will be increased exposure of womens international club football in Australia. Mary Fowler, Sam Kerr and Mackenzie Arnold play for Man City, Chelsea and West Ham respectively and I expect there will be greater news coverage of these players and teams this season.

There's no doubt that the men's premier league is followed by many Australians and over the next 10 years, there will be a huge rise in viewership of the Engilish Super League in Australia and around the world.

Take#2: Rise of the AFLW

The AFLW season started this week (Credit: James Ross/AAP PHOTO)

The AFLW is riding the momentum in Women's sport in Australia, recording record attendances and TV viewership across the opening weekend of the 2023 competition. I suspect their will be record attendance continued throughout the season as the level in the competition continues to increase year on year.

Whilst the AFLW level has improved, Women's AFL is a few years behind Women's soccer in Australia as the pathways and grassroot programs are still relatively immature. Over the next 5 - 10 years, the level of the AFLW will drastically improve as players in the competition will have grown up playing the game as opposed to a different sport.

The 2023 FIFA World Cup will be remembered as a moment in time that turned Matildas players to household names and provided a platform for women's sport in Australia to fast-track its growth.