Hello everyone, I hope you are all getting back to normal and looking positively at what the future holds.
We’ve certainly had some positive news for football and Australia and New Zealand’s bid to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023TM, today.
FIFA have published their Bid Evaluation Report, which is based on their February inspection.
It has put our bid ahead of the other two countries bidding to host – Colombia and Japan – with a highest overall average score of 4.1 out of 5.
It also described our bid as ‘the most commercially favourable proposition’ and indicated we could host a technically strong tournament across all key areas.
What a great credit to everyone involved on the bid and, although the official vote is still to come, we can be very pleased, very proud and hopeful of a successful outcome.
Having been to and witnessed a World Cup first-hand, I can’t speak enough about the positive effect it would have on our great nation.
I saw in Brazil how it can unite and invigorate a country to get behind their home team and how it brings enjoyment and excitement throughout the whole nation.
For Australia, which has one of the most multi-cultural populations in the world, it would be a chance to celebrate our diversity and to bring our entire community together.
For our players, it is a rare opportunity to play in a World Cup on home soil which they would relish and love to compete in.
The Matildas have grown into one of Australia’s best national sporting teams and their results at international level have been fantastic.
To have a World Cup in this country would be great for them, particularly with the home advantage in what is the biggest women’s tournament on the planet.
We all witnessed how playing at home is a big advantage when Australia won the AFC Asian Cup in 2015, and how the supporters helped to carry us through.
It would be a superb boost for football and for this country to be hosting the tournament and would give us three years of excitement and build up.
We’ve still got two weeks until the actual vote by FIFA to decide the hosts, but I know myself and many more of us, have our fingers crossed the right decision is made.
