The Power of Sports

The Women’s World Cup third-place playoff match between host Matilda and the Swedish women’s soccer team drew 7.13 million online viewers of the semi-final match against England, not including those who gathered in pubs and other venues or at stadiums for the live broadcast, making it Australia’s highest-rated television program since 2001, the launch of the current statistical system. The ratings made Australian history, making it the most-watched television program since the current statistical system was launched in 2001. The Australian women’s 7-6 penalty shootout win over France in the last 8 of the tournament made history not just in Australian soccer, but in the world of soccer – it was the first time in history that Australia had ever reached the quarter-finals of a World Cup, for both men and women. The Women’s World Cup has revolutionized Australian sport, and women’s sport in particular.

A new era

Over the past five years, the Matildas have become one of the most popular sports teams in Australia. There are few teams whose nicknames are mentioned more often than their official names in international competitions, and the Australian Women’s National Football Team is one of them. Despite the Australian women’s team losing 1-3 to England in the semi-finals, Prime Minister Albanese, who was in attendance, tweeted afterwards that it was “absolutely inspirational”, praising the women’s players for their “incredible skill, hard work and talent, as well as the camaraderie of a team sport”, and that “there is no doubt that the next generation of Matildas is watching”.

Soccer is not the most popular sport in Australia. Australian Rules Football, Rugby and Cricket all have a very strong public participation base. According to Australia’s mainstream media, the World Cup has already generated A$7.6 billion in retail and tourism growth; nearly 15 per cent of ticket revenue comes from overseas fans. Australian soccer player Van Emond said in a previous interview that the World Cup would change Australian soccer forever. “When you know that the whole country is behind you, it gives you unexpected strength when you need it,” he said. The Women’s World Cup is now the talk of the town, and people in Australia are getting more and more excited about soccer. This is just the beginning, and the World Cup has shown the potential of women’s soccer in Australia.

Football Federation of Australia (FFA) President Jens Jensen said his organization has always had faith in Australian women’s football and the sport and believes that the unwavering spirit and resilience of Australian women’s football resonates with Australia’s values as a nation and that the women’s success on the pitch has made it a symbol of national pride. The progress that Australian women’s soccer has made over the past few years has inspired Australia’s younger generation, with many girls wanting to play soccer because of them, and they have created opportunities for girls to have a career in soccer. This Women’s World Cup will undoubtedly be a significant milestone for both Australian soccer and Australian women’s soccer.

Creating stars

Captain superstar Sam Kerr has been in the spotlight throughout the World Cup matches. Born into a sporting family, Kerr started out playing Australian soccer, but due to her small size, switched to soccer at the age of 15 and excelled in the Perth League. She went on to play in both the United States and Europe and is the only woman in the world to have won the Golden Boot in all three continents, and is now playing for the Scholes Football Club. She was unable to play in the first three Pool matches due to a leg injury, which caused many to worry about Australia’s chances of qualifying for the tournament. However, Kerr’s inability to play gave other less experienced players a chance to shine.
Mary Fowler is the youngest player in the team, aged 20, and has played nearly 40 times for the Matildas. It is a source of pride for Australians that she chose to represent her country of birth when her parents could have been eligible to play for Papua New Guinea or Ireland.
Caitlin Foord, who performed brilliantly. Caitlin Foord, 28, was already in the Matildas at the age of 16 and has shown impressive leadership and organizational skills in the face of an injury to her captain. She is currently playing for Arsenal and has scored many times in the Europa League.
Steph Catley is the acting captain, played in the American team and forms a strong offensive line with Foord. She is playing in her third World Cup for Australia and scored the first goal of the tournament.
The most admired player of the tournament was goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold. Mackenzie Arnold was unanimously voted the best player of the tournament after saving a number of dangerous goals in a classic semi-final match against Denmark and showing great resilience in the final penalty shootout. Mackenzie’s deafness and physical disability did not affect her dedication and perseverance to the sport, making her a role model for Australians.
These stars, who were already excellent in their own right, became household names in Australia through the Women’s World Cup, transforming the status of the sport in the hearts and minds of Australians.

A big step for women’s empowerment

Sport is a microcosm of society. If gender inequality in sports can be properly addressed, it will help to address gender inequality in the wider community. The World Cup attracts up to 2 billion viewers, and players can use this attention to shine a spotlight on women’s rights around the world. Four years ago, under a new centralized contract system announced by Football Federation Australia, Australian women’s footballers such as Sam Kerr and Ellie Carpenter received the same level of pay as Australian men’s footballers such as Aaron Mooy and Matt Ryan and were allowed to travel on business class to international matches, just like their male counterparts. Female footballers will also be able to travel business class when attending international matches, just like their male counterparts. This is a milestone for gender equality in sport. With the World Cup’s impressive ratings and box office results, female soccer players have once again proved to the world that their contribution to the soccer world is no less than that of men.

After Australia’s Katrina Gorry put the ball in the net during the penalty shootout against France, she looked out into the crowd and made a rocking motion with her arm, cradling a baby in her arms – a tribute to her two-year-old daughter, Harper. At this year’s tournament, more mothers stepped onto the field, offering a glimpse into their experience of balancing parenting with playing soccer at the highest level. The image of strong, successful women publicly embracing their role as mothers sends a powerful message to the world. The two areas where progress is most evident for women soccer players today are maternity rights and pay equality.

“Matilda’s success in the ring at this year’s World Cup is another reminder that Australia should seize the opportunity to invest in the next generation and improve community sports facilities for women. The Commonwealth Government has now announced new policies, including the launch of the Play Our Way program, to improve and increase the number of sports facilities and equipment specifically for women and girls. Specifically, there will be an additional $200 million in funding for women’s sports and more reforms to ensure more Australians can watch women’s sports for free on television. While the plan will apply to all sports, it is expected that soccer, one of the most popular sports in Australia today, will receive the most attention, with women’s soccer needing significant resources in the wake of the Women’s World Cup. If the changes in women’s soccer can be transferred to other areas of the community, it would be a great benefit.

Did Victoria regret it?

The World Cup has been a huge success in Australia, and it’s a great example of the power that sports can have. Just last month Victoria announced it would not be hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games as planned, fearing the cost would be far greater than originally anticipated. Since then, mediation between the Victorian Commonwealth Games Federation, Commonwealth Games Federation partners and the Australian Commonwealth Games has immediately taken place. After a round of confidential ‘goodwill discussions’, Victoria has agreed to pay the other three parties a total of $380 million in compensation. I wonder if Victoria’s decision to refuse to host the Commonwealth Games was not more than justified.

When the Premier of Victoria, Daniel Andrews, announced his decision to withdraw from hosting the Games, he said that the estimated cost would increase from $2.6 billion to $6 billion to $7 billion. Andrews repeatedly said he would not spend up to $7 billion to host the event and dismissed the proposal to move the Commonwealth Games to Melbourne, saying that even if it were to be held there, the cost would still be more than $4 billion. During the mediation process, all parties to the Commonwealth Games also agreed that it would be more costly to run the Games in a multi-regional format than in the traditional format. A newly released cost estimate suggests that the organizers would have to incur an additional $2 billion in cost pressures due to tight scheduling, venue availability constraints, accommodation shortages, and the possibility of temporary changes to government rules to accommodate major sporting events.

The Commonwealth Games, in which Commonwealth countries participate, have been held every four years since 1930 and have only been suspended twice during the Second World War. It is not yet known who will

“take over” the 2026 event after Victoria withdraws. In addition, the Canadian province of Alberta announced earlier this month that it was dropping its bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games. The success of the World Cup has proved that large-scale sports events play an important and even irreplaceable role in showcasing a city’s image, stimulating economic development, enriching the city’s spiritual and cultural life, and enhancing international exchanges, which have a far-reaching impact on a city’s development. The Victorian government, simply because of budgetary reasons, ignored the many expectations and efforts put into the event, and lightly cancelled it, which is really not what a responsible government should do, and such a great opportunity to showcase Victoria’s culture and strengths through the organization of sports events has been given up in this way.

Sports and national exchanges

Many of you will remember that it was through ping-pong diplomacy that China re-established relations with the United States and the West after being cut off from the rest of the world in the 49th century. Australia has always been too far away from Europe, and it has always regarded itself as a Western country, so it has seldom established close relations with Asian countries. Moreover, Australia has always emphasized Australian soccer and neglected the sport of soccer, which has only gained more attention in recent years. However, Matildas’s performance has recognized Australia’s status in the world soccer arena and will enhance Australians’ attention to the national team’s competitions in the world, which is believed to be a boost for Australia to enter Asia and the world, and to establish closer relations with other countries. I believe that the Australian government would like to see these benefits.
Outstanding athletes are ambassadors for their country, and Matilda’s players have done just that this time around.

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