Legacy of success: The transformative impact of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup on Australian sport
5 minutes. That’s all it took for the now legendary purple jersey worn by the Australian (Matildas) goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup (2023 World Cup) to sell out following its first online release at 12pm on Tuesday 26 February 2024. Arnold was the Matildas’ goalkeeper during the tournament and won over fans with her heroic efforts during their quarter-final victory against France, in which her efforts during the penalty shootout secured the Matildas’ first semi-final appearance at a FIFA World Cup finals tournament.
While there were a number of Matildas fans left disappointed by the record sellout of the jerseys (albeit only temporarily, with in-person sales of the jerseys at various retail premises and stores having kicked off), the record sales highlight the extraordinary level of demand and interest in the Matildas that has continued well after the team’s record-breaking run, in which they achieved the best result by a senior Australian national football team at any FIFA tournament. Just recently, the Matildas managed to sell out their 13th straight home game for their upcoming friendly against China PR at Adelaide Oval on 31 May 2024.
And the Matildas’ record-breaking has not been limited to their achievements on the football pitch. Football Australia’s recently released ‘Legacy ‘23’ – Building on Australia’s Global Football Triumph’ report (Legacy Report). This article summarises the Legacy Report and provides a breakdown of the impact, investment and progress that was achieved following the hosting of the 2023 World Cup in relation to the following
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- Tags: Athlete Welfare | Australia | Commercial | FIFA 2023 Women’s World Cup | Football | Sponsorship
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Written by
Tom Macken
Tom is a Senior Associate in Bird & Bird's Media, Entertainment and Sports Group in Sydney. He advises on a broad range of clients across the sector in relation to a range of corporate, commercial and regulatory matters. He is passionate about the sports, media and entertainment sector because of its dynamism, diversity and global scale. He regularly works with a range of clients across the sector, including national and international sports governing bodies, event organisers, player associations and other commercial stakeholders, to assist them to achieve their commercial objectives.
Brianna Quinn
I am a partner in Bird & Bird's Sydney office, working in the Media, Entertainment and Sports group.
I provide specialist advice and represent sports clients in a wide range of matters, in particular when it comes to their regulatory, integrity, governance, and contractual affairs.
Working alongside Rich Hawkins, our Sydney team provides a full-service offering for all sports commercial and regulatory/contentious matters, servicing clients in Australia, the Asia-Pacific region, and further internationally. I also work closely with our market leading sports team in London on their international matters.
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