final of the record-breaking Women’s World Cup
On Sunday, in the Women’s World Cup final, Spain won against England with a score of 1-0. This wraps up a tournament that broke attendance and TV records, sparking hopes of more interest in women’s soccer.
The Women’s World Cup was hosted by Australia and New Zealand together. This was the ninth time this big event took place globally, but the first time it happened in the southern part of the world.
Even though local excitement waned when Australia got knocked out in the semi-finals, nearly two million fans enjoyed the games across nine host cities. With the final crowd of 75,784 people, the total number of attendees has been impressive.
A goal by Olga Carmona made all the difference in an exciting match where Spain had most of the best opportunities to score.
Before the game on Sunday, lots of fans gathered at Stadium Australia in Sydney, with drummers and stilt walkers adding to the festive mood.
This was the first time both England and Spain reached the Women’s World Cup final, but England is still waiting for their first trophy since their men’s team won in 1966.
Before the Women’s World Cup final match
Australia’s loss to England in the semi-finals last Wednesday was watched by an average of 7.13 million people on the local Seven Network channels. This was the highest number of viewers ever recorded by OzTAM, a research firm that started in 2001.
The Matildas’ matches were completely sold out many months ahead, and the organizers predict that the average attendance will go beyond 30,000 once all 64 matches are done.
In the previous Women’s World Cup held in France four years ago, more than 1.1 million fans attended 52 matches, and the average crowd was around 21,756 people.
In New Zealand, whose team was eliminated in the group rounds, demand was lower. Although some games drew as low as 7,000 spectators despite FIFA giving away thousands of tickets, White Ferns matches surpassed attendance records for soccer in the nation.
FUNDING GAP
The Australian players, who lost 2-0 to Sweden in a third-place playoff match on Saturday, will each receive $165,000 in prize money for this tournament. This is more than 300 times the A$750 ($480) they got for reaching the quarter-finals in 2015.
However, on a more local level, there’s a need for more resources in the sport, according to Matildas striker Sam Kerr, following their loss to England last Wednesday.
“We really require more support in developing the sport, especially at the grassroots level,” she mentioned.
“We need funding to help us grow from the ground up, across the board.”
The impressive performance of the Matildas in the World Cup has sparked discussions about providing better backing for women’s soccer in Australia, where other sports like rugby league and Australian rules tend to get more attention.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese responded to this by pledging A$200 million for women’s sports, particularly in light of the Matildas’ strong showing in the semi-finals.
Albanese explained that this money will be used to enhance sports facilities for women and girls, and soccer is expected to receive a significant portion of this funding.
The government is also looking to make sure that women’s sports events can be watched on free-to-air TV. This comes after criticism that most World Cup matches, not including Australia, were only available on pay-per-view channels.
Women’s soccer has faced various challenges, including in England and Spain, both competing for their first world title in Sydney on Sunday.
It’s important to note that in England, women were not allowed to use official facilities until 1970, despite the sport’s roots there. And historically, women’s soccer has struggled to gain as much attention as the men’s teams.
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