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On Sunday, Spain defeated England 1-0 in the Women’s World Cup final, wrapping off a competition that broke television and attendance records and raised expectations for a rise in interest in women’s soccer.
The ninth iteration of the world’s premier event, jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand, was the first to take place in the southern hemisphere.
Local interest waned after Australia lost in the semi-finals, but after Sunday’s final attendance of 75,784 is factored in, little under two million spectators will have entered the venues in the nine host cities.
Olga Carmona’s goal separated the two teams in a dramatic match in which Spain created the majority of the clear-cut opportunities.
Thousands of fans explored Stadium Australia in Sydney prior to kickoff on Sunday as bands of drummers and stilt walkers created a festival atmosphere.
Spain and England were playing in their first Women’s World Cup final, while England had yet to win its first championship since the men’s competition in 1966.
The semi-final loss by Australia to England on Wednesday attracted an average of 7.13 million viewers on the Seven Network stations, the greatest viewership ever noted by research company OzTAM since its founding in 2001.
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Matildas’ Phenomenal World Cup Run Draws Packed Stadiums
Matches for the Matildas sold out months in advance, and organizers anticipate that once all 64 games are over, the average attendance will surpass 30,000.
More than 1.1 million spectators attended 52 games during the previous Women’s World Cup in France four years ago, with a total attendance of 21,756.
Australia’s players will collect $165,000 in prize money for this competition, more than 300 times the A$750 ($480) they won for reaching the quarterfinals in 2015. Sweden defeated Australia 2-0 in the third-place playoff match on Saturday.
Women’s soccer in Australia, where it trails more widespread football codes like rugby league and Australian rules, has received calls for additional support as a result of the Matildas’ outstanding World Cup performance.
Following the Matildas’ march to the semifinals, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reacted on Saturday by pledging $200 million for women’s sports.
Soccer is expected to receive “substantial resourcing,” according to Albanese, who claimed the funds would be used to upgrade sports facilities for women and girls.
In response to concerns that the majority of World Cup games involving teams other than Australia were behind a paywall, the government also wants to ensure that women’s sporting events are broadcast on free-to-air television.
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Source: Reuters
