Football Australia boss highlights sad reality for Matildas amid World Cup run
While the Matildas are all the rage right now, Football Australia is calling for more support to capitalise on the momentum in future.
Football Australia boss James Johnson has urged potential broadcasters for the Matildas and Socceroos to look further ahead from this year's hugely popular Women's World Cup and commit to supporting the game beyond the tournament being hosted between Australia and New Zealand. Matildas and Socceroos broadcast rights are held by Channel 7 at present, with the women's team's 2-0 victory over Denmark earlier in the week landing massive ratings.
Rights to broadcast the domestic game are set to expire in 2024 however, with Channel 10 having signed a broadcast deal with FA back in 2021. Johnson has said the biggest challenge for the game now will be parlaying the incredible success of the Matildas into better engagement with the domestic leagues.
'CAN'T DO THAT': Former Matilda slaps down 'silly' Sam Kerr move
'EXPLOITING THE RULES': Matildas move called into question
Part of that, Johnson says, will be increased support from the federal government to support the game close to home - particularly with the likes of Sam Kerr playing overseas in the Women's Premier League. He said it was critical that whoever won the new rights deal was able to capitalise on the interest in the Matildas, as well as the Socceroos after their strong showing at the 2022 men's World Cup, and avoid the public interest falling off a cliff.
“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.”
Johnson said he was pleased with the support Channel 10 had shown the domestic A-League and A-League Women's competitions, but said there was a clear opportunity to further the sport's brands. “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.”
Matildas run at Women's World Cup results in record ratings
With the Matildas set to face fellow heavyweights France on Saturday evening with a top four spot in the World Cup on the line, broadcaster Channel 7 could be set for another massive ratings win. The victory over Denmark shattered records, with viewership of the match eclipsing that of any AFL or NRL grand final since 2016, as well as State of Origin numbers in that same time period.
“It’s very satisfying,” Johnson said. “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.”
A bumper crowd of 75,784 fans packed into Sydney’s Stadium Australia for the clash, while the overall attendance figures had also proven record-breaking. More than 1.4 million spectators have flocked to grounds between Australia and New Zealand, a new high watermark for the Women's World Cup.
With AAP
Sign up to our newsletter and score the biggest sport stories of the week.
