Tournament was more revolution than evolution for its co-hosts and signalled a step change in the reordering of Australia’s priorities for football and women’s sport“Please have your tickets ready, and have a good night,” said the usher through his megaphone outside Sydney’s Stadium Australia before the final. “And go Spain.”For that volunteer, and many millions of Australians, the 2023 World Cup was close to perfect. Perfect, for many, would have been the Australia captain, Sam Kerr – and not Spain’s Olga Carmona – lifting the trophy. But in this country football has been associated with failure, blunder or – worst of all – being ignored. This tournament was something else entirely. Continue reading...
When the AFL can negotiate a billion dollar TV deal but can’t tell us whether a goal is a goal, fans get dudded and players ask: what’s the point?As far as the AFL is concerned, every problem can be solved. Everything can be measured, conquered, spun and sold. Everything can be ameliorated with a snappy press conference, a diversionary thought bubble or a long lunch.It doesn’t always work like that, of course. The game itself operates in the grey zone. The way it’s funded and administered is built on conflicts of interest, on give and take, on taking a progressive stance one minute and cosying up to the likes of Lachlan Murdoch the next. On any given day, the governing...
As the 2023 World Cup final plays out without them, the Matildas are vowing to go one better on the world stage at the 2024 Paris OlympicsAnd so a remarkable month comes to a close for the Matildas. It ends not with a World Cup trophy, but not far off either. In fourth place, the team secured Australia’s best-ever result for a senior national team of any gender, and the second best placing for a Women’s World Cup host. By captivating the nation, delighting the public imagination, the Matildas ensured the first-ever World Cup on home soil will never be forgotten.On Sunday morning, the team gathered for one last public appearance before the squad disbands. Cheered on by almost 5,000...
It is possible to revel in a fourth-place finish and still push for an even better future by asking difficult questionsThese two things can both be true: the Matildas overachieved at this World Cup, and underachieved against Sweden on Saturday.Australia’s fourth-placed finish at the World Cup following a magical month that enchanted a nation is better than anyone could have expected. Indeed, with the exception of the USA, it is the best-ever performance by a host country. Australians should rightly feel proud of these Matildas after a heroic World Cup run, in the face of sustained adversity – most notably Sam Kerr’s calf injury. Continue reading...
Critics say it’s just a cynical money-grab at the end of a long tournament but for those involved there is plenty at stake The third-place play-off is one of the more divisive concepts in world football. What’s the point? Many fans and commentators have asked the same question over the years. The men’s European championship dropped the bronze medal clash in 1980, while the women’s European championship followed suit from the 1995 edition onwards. More recently, the third-place match has dropped off the schedule at the latest editions of the women’s and men’s Asian Cup.But at every men’s World Cup since the second edition in 1934, and at every women’s World Cup, the losers of the semi-finals meet ahead of...