3 minute read

As crowds and bumper TV audiences follow the Matildas at the Women's World Cup, Football Australia hope the sport as a whole can capitalise.

Football Australia are determined to ride the wave of momentum created by the Matildas' eye-catching Women's World Cup performances.

Tony Gustavsson's team on Monday night reached the quarter-finals of the global tournament for the second time with a 2-0 win over Denmark.

The sellout clash had 75,784 fans packed into Sydney's Stadium Australia, while the tournament has already broken the Women's World Cup overall attendance record, with more than 1.4 million spectators flocking to grounds.

The free-to-air telecast of the Denmark game was broadcaster Channel Seven's No.1 program of 2023, reaching 6.54 million people, with an average audience during the game of 3.56 million.

"It's very satisfying," Football Australia (FA) chief executive James Johnson told AAP.

"The game is in a very strong position, we're coming off the best ever performance at a men's World Cup, and regardless of the outcome on Saturday night (when the Matildas play their last-eight match), we've at least equalled the best performance at a Women's World Cup.

"The off-the-pitch stuff or measurements are just as important because we're co-hosting the Women's World Cup.

"To put it in perspective, there hasn't been a State of Origin match or an NRL grand final since 2016 that have reached those (broadcast) numbers. So things are in a good space."

Broadcast rights for the Matildas and Socceroos are up next year, with Johnson confirming the process to negotiate a new deal will begin next month.

Johnson stressed FA were very happy with their current deal with Network Ten.

But if Monday night's figures are anything to go by, the rights will clearly be in demand.

"Our job is to build the brands, build the interest going into that process so that there's good competition," he said.

"Like any process that you run, any commercial process, you build a market so to speak. The market's there.

"But saying that, Ten have been a great broadcast partner, and one where the whole country can watch the Matildas and the Socceroos free-to-air every single match."

Sponsors have flocked to the Matildas but Johnson urged governments and other partners to maintain the rage post-World Cup.

"What we do need, and this is a challenge that extends beyond football, (is) government to really continue to invest and support post-Women's World Cup," he said.

"We need our sponsors (and) broadcasters to continue to support post-Women's World Cup and we need support across the sport.

"Because we're all focused right now on the Matildas, the Women's World Cup, and it's magnificent.

"But as soon as we finish we go straight back into an October window where the Socceroos are front and centre."

Football needs ongoing support from government and commercial partners, Johnson said, "to continue on the trajectory that we're on".