That’s it then. The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, staged for the first time on Australian and New Zealand soil, came to a close on Sunday night as Spain beat England 1-0 in the final after the Matildas lost 2-0 to Sweden in the final on Saturday had fourth, their best result ever.
In addition to the historic result, the Matildas captured the hearts of a nation. They broke television streaming records, with the semi-final game against England becoming the most-watched program since the current rating method was introduced in 2001.
Cheering scenes erupted at live locations, in pubs and in private homes across the country. A viral video even showed a flight full of international travelers watching the Matildas’ penalty shootout against France in the air.
The Women’s World Cup has also given Australia’s economy an estimated A$7.6 billion boost.
With countless events like these, we not only experience a great sporting moment, but also a great cultural moment.
But as everyone in and around women’s football knows, the Women’s World Cup needs to be more than a four-week football festival.
It needs to redefine the way it treats and invests in women’s sport, including the following high-priced issues.
1. Celebrate and prolong cultural change
The ‘Olympic Games Effect’ often results in more coverage of women’s sports during the Olympic Games, when people are cheering on their country rather than their usual men’s or women’s teams.
But the Women’s World Cup has produced something incredible: women inspire girls, women, boys and men with performances that simultaneously put gender at the center and inspire a shift in attitudes about girls’ and women’s skills, abilities and values.
Fostering and continuing this cultural shift will be equally, if not more, groundbreaking.
First, it ensures young girls have idols to look up to – something that eluded women’s football greats like Brazil’s Marta.
We need to reinforce such change with good policies and investments to encourage further inclusion. This is likely to have implications beyond sport and extend to improving women’s representation in boardrooms.
2. Recognize that no single event can fix everything
When sportswriter Neroli Meadows spoke about AFLW, but in a sense that also applies to football, he noted that the idea that women are incapable of playing football or that their game is seen as a novelty , will one day be as alien a concept as women are not allowed to vote.
The 2023 Women’s World Cup contributed at least in part to this normalization.
But you shouldn’t overestimate what the team and the tournament have achieved. No single sporting event can adequately address all gender equality issues (we’ve heard such optimism and hype about women’s sport and its ability to advance gender equality before).
So while it’s important to celebrate victories, it’s equally important to recognize that the tournament isn’t the final game, but an important next step.
3. Use the data to align value with investment
The lack of investment in women’s football and the failure to broadcast games meant, until recently, that the resulting data only ever showed us what women’s football is not.
This lack of data is also why broadcasters were able to downplay FIFA when it tried to sell broadcast rights to the 2023 Women’s World Cup. It’s also why Channel 7 was able to secure the rights to broadcast 15 games for as little as A$4-5 million (since dubbed the ‘deal of the century’).
It is also why women’s football is not considered important enough to warrant inclusion in the anti-siphoning laws, which allow events of national importance to be broadcast on free-to-air television to ensure maximum accessibility.
That mustn’t happen again. The astounding viewership and record-breaking ticket sales must be translated into real commercial and gender-changing opportunities.
4. Invest in gender research and equipment
A string of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries shattered the tournament dreams of some of the world’s top women footballers.
Often-cited research confirms that women are up to eight times more likely to suffer cruciate ligament injuries than men. However, there is still little women-specific research on the causes of cruciate ligament injuries, let alone prevention. There is an urgent need to remedy this glaring deficiency.
This is symptomatic of broader issues related to research that neglects women. For example, just last week, the world’s first study of period product absorption using real blood and not saline or water was released.
Read more: New Study: Much of what we’re told about gym exercise and strength training comes from studies by men on men
Equally important is the removal of other obstacles. Poorly fitting shirts, for example, contribute to the fact that girls and women often drop out of the sport. A Victoria University study confirmed what most girls and women already knew: Well-made uniforms inspire comfort and confidence. But when done poorly, they cause discomfort and insecurity and can discourage girls from continuing to exercise.
Girls and women want flexibility and autonomy in choosing their uniforms, as well as shorts and t-shirts instead of skirts or dresses. Also breathable dark material that masks sweat – so we should avoid white shorts.
There is also a glaring need to think about kits for outfield players as well: female referees continue to be overlooked.
Women’s goalkeeper jerseys were also not available for purchase at this Women’s World Cup, although many goalkeepers have inspired their defensive efforts. If ever there was something that encapsulated how women’s football excels while being thwarted, this is it.
5. Appoint women to leadership positions, but avoid the “glass cliff”
England coach Sarina Weigman was the only female coach in the Final Four and women are still a long way from holding top positions like FIFA President.
This tournament must open the door for women to make decisions for women’s sport.
At the same time, we must proceed in a measured and sustainable manner. We need to stay away from the ‘glass cliff’ phenomenon, where women are only given leadership positions in turbulent times and the men who normally hold those roles abandon ship.
Building solid, ongoing training and mentoring programs and networks is a must.
6. Pay them properly
If the Matildas had won the final, it would be well and good to include a public holiday. However, as with all women’s sports, they still lack one crucial element: payment and prize money commensurate with their contribution and talent.
Having achieved equal pay in 2019 and now receiving base pay and knockout-stage bonuses, the Matildas are in a slightly better position than their netball peers, the Diamonds. The latter won the netball world championship last week but received no payment or bonus for his efforts.
READ ALSO: Australia Just Won The Netball World Championship. Why isn’t there a place in our sports media for multiple Women’s World Cups?
That said, the FIFA Women’s World Cup prize money, which is still a fraction of the men’s prize money, is still the big deal. Total prize money for this year’s women’s tournament was US$110 million (AUD165 million), while total prize money for the 2022 men’s edition was US$440 million (AUD688 million).
FIFA has paid lip service to achieving prize money parity for years to come, but there’s little to stop them from achieving that goal now – especially with record-breaking ticket sales.
7. “Correct the Internet”
Women’s contributions have traditionally been discounted or overlooked (a phenomenon known in science as the “Matilda effect”). This has happened in many areas, including women’s football.
For example, in the historical record, football records such as the world’s top international goalscorer have often been wrongly attributed to men. This is actually Canadian striker Christine Sinclair, who has 190 international goals, not Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored 123.
Former New Zealand soccer player Rebecca Sowden has launched a campaign to “correct the internet,” backed by a gender-bias correction approach announced in July that Google has announced.
Efforts like this aim to place women squarely at the center of this cultural and sporting revolution and give them their proper place in history.
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