The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is the most anticipated event in Australian History. Australians watched the Matilda reach the semi-finals of the tournament for the first time.
Prior to Matilda’s historic success in Australia, there were many concerns. Australians were skeptical about the model of multi-city events and what benefits they could expect. The fact that Victoria’s plan to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games in multiple cities was canceled just a few days before the opening day of the tournament didn’t help.
Read more: Cancelling the Commonwealth Games won’t come cheaply – Victoria now faces the legal consequences.
Our new research measured the impact of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup on each Australian host city – Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney. Data collected from 2,000 Australians surveyed pre-event (June) and post-event (November) show the event increased Australians’ interest in women’s sports for all cities except Perth. In addition, each city showed greater support for hosting the event in the future, except Adelaide and Perth.
Please rate your responses on a 1-7 scale. Author supplied (no reuse), Author provided
Please rate your responses on a 1-7 scale. Author supplied (no reuse)
Australia’s perspective on the Women’s World Cup
Why did the outcomes of events differ in all Australian cities? We know that each mega-sport event has both positive and negative effects on the host country and its cities. According to the survey participants, we measured perceived costs and benefits of hosting the event in terms of economics, environmental, social and sport participation criteria.
Residents in each of the host cities reported that, after the event, they were surprised to learn that their communities had reaped greater benefits than expected. The majority of respondents to the survey also believed that the tournament had cost less than anticipated.
The results are in stark contrast with what one would expect for an event this size and bode well for future multi-city events such as the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.
According to the graphs, the event appears to have been a great success in all cities. Looking beyond the surface perception of events, there are clear winners and losers.
Please rate your responses on a 1-7 scale. Author supplied (no reuse)
World Cup Winners and Losers
After the event, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney citizens expressed greater support for the city that hosted the event. Adelaide and Perth showed a decline in support. Adelaide and Perth were the cities with the least hosting duties, each hosting five games, while Melbourne, Brisbane, and Sydney hosted more.
It could be interpreted as a sign that the citizens of Adelaide and Perth felt excluded by the multi-city model which favoured games in other cities. Adelaide and Perth weren’t initially included in Australia’s bid to host the tournament. It was originally planned that the event would only be held in three eastern cities. The two cities were added to the bid after New Zealand’s initial bid.
The Women’s World Cup in Australia was a huge success. Future global sporting events should be held throughout Australia, and not just on the east coast. Darren England/AAP
The data on Australian women’s sports fandom also highlights this divide. The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup has increased the support of Australians for women’s sports in all cities except Perth.
The biggest increase in women’s sports fandom was seen from pre to post event for other Australian cities. This shows the true Matildas Effect since we saw a rise in women’s sports support that wasn’t just centered on the team’s historic semi-final performance or their ability to draw the largest audience in Australian History.
Read more: Cricket? Lacrosse? Netball? The new sports that might make it to the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games.
The future of global sporting events in Australia
Our research shows that mega sports events can captivate Australians and even trigger social changes. It also highlights opportunities to improve the multi-city model. There are many mega-sport events in Australia planned for the next decade, culminating in the Brisbane Olympics in 2032. Two important lessons can be learned from the results of the Adelaide and Perth surveys.
It is important first to consider all cities, and not just “the big ones” when planning a multi-city operation. This could have been achieved by involving all cities in a 25-day countdown to the first match. This would create a feeling of unity throughout the country and highlight the uniqueness each city has to offer.
It will be crucial in the run-up to the Brisbane 2032 Olympics. This will involve several large cities (Brisbane and Melbourne) as well as several smaller ones (Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast). We may end up with more fragmented outcomes if we don’t make a conscious effort to engage all cities, regardless of their size or location.
Second, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup has been a huge success. This gives Australia and New Zealand the hope and the scope to co-host more events in the future.
The two countries could expand further by bidding to host a future FIFA Men’s World Cup or Commonwealth Games.