With today marking one year to go until the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023TM, Football Australia has revealed the progress made to date with its Legacy ’23 plan as the organisation continues to push its bold project to leave a lasting legacy for the sport beyond the global tournament in a year’s time.
Since its launch in February 2021, Football Australia’s Legacy ‘23 Plan has driven Australian football’s efforts to create lasting, tangible benefits for the sport following the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023TM.
With one year to go until the global tournament kicks off, Football Australia and its Member State and Territory Federations have used the Legacy ’23 Plan as a platform to drive the transformation of Australian football and to date, have secured funding from the Federal and several State Governments to the tune of $230 million.
Football Australia CEO James Johnson said: “It seems like only yesterday that Australia and New Zealand secured co-hosting rights for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023TM in the early hours of 26 June 2020.”
As exciting as it is to be hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023TM on our shores, the tournament has always represented more than just a month of elite and exciting international competition. The Legacy ’23 Plan provides a platform for the sport to leverage this once in a lifetime opportunity to realise a truly meaningful legacy for football, the community and the nation, well after the event has been successfully delivered.
“Whilst we are pleased to have secured $230 million in Legacy ’23 funding from the Federal and several State Governments to date, we have further work to do, in particular with the Tourism and International Engagement, Leadership and Development, and Community Facilities pillars.
“The final 12 months in the lead up to the FIFA Women’s World CupTM is crucial to our game as we strive to make the most of this rare opportunity,” Johnson concluded.
Football Australia’s Head of Women's Football, Women's World Cup Legacy & Inclusion, Sarah Walsh, was in Brisbane – one of the nine Host Cities for next year’s tournament – to celebrate the milestone with members of Queensland’s football family.
At Brisbane Stadium, Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles said Brisbane was proud to be among the Host Cities for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023TM.
“With an audience of over one billion people the FIFA Women’s World CupTM will well and truly put Brisbane on the global stage,” Mr Miles said.
“Brisbane is a sporting city and hosting eight matches here will show the world we’re serious about our sports whilst showing off Queensland to the rest of the world.
“It’s going be a massive decade for Queensland, kicking off with the Women’s World CupTM and wrapping up in 2032 with the Olympic and Paralympic games.”
The Legacy ’23 Plan, developed by Football Australia, will ensure Australia realises the long-term benefits of hosting this prestigious global sporting event. From economic, social, physical, and mental health benefits to its promotion of social cohesion and multicultural inclusion, Legacy ’23 will introduce new and expand existing programs to ensure the future of football in Australia is stronger than ever before.
The programs will aim to increase participation, improve community facilities, optimise high performance offerings, drive leadership and development of the sport as well as encourage local and international tourism as Australia and New Zealand recover from the global pandemic.
As the world’s biggest women’s sporting event, it is expected that over a billion people across the world will tune in to watch the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Australia & New Zealand 2023TM.
For more information on Legacy ’23 head to https://www.footballaustralia.com.au/legacy23 and stay tuned for the final ambassador announcements later this month.
