As a member and sponsor of The Committee for Sydney, the city’s urban policy think tank who advocates for the whole of Sydney, we were delighted to present The Committee for Sydney’s Sydney Awards’ ‘Project of the Year Award’ to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup by Football Australia.

The event included keynote addresses from the Prime Minister of Australia, The Hon, Anthony Albanese MP and the Deputy Premier of NSW, The Hon. Prue Car MP.

Accepting the award on behalf of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup was James Johnson, CEO of Football Australia and Kyah Simon from The Matildas.

The Sydney Awards celebrates a game-changing initiative, project or development by a team or organisation… a contribution that materially changes Sydney for the better.

With our focus firmly set on Sydney, we were proud to honour the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup to highlight a sporting event committed to making our city extraordinary.

Thank you to Eamon Waterford, CEO, Committee for Sydney and the border committee for creating an awards program which awards Sydneysiders and initiatives that make Sydney a better place to live.

A big congratulations to the finalists, Sydney Metro City and Southwest by Sydney Metro and White Bay Power Station by Placemaking NSW / Biennale of Sydney.

Project of the Year Award

The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 was more than a major sports event, it was a landmark project that demonstrated the power of sport to transform society.

Over the course of a month, two million fans attended games, with a global audience of two billion. The World Cup pumped $1.3 billion into the state’s economy and helped turn the Matildas into the nation’s leading sporting brand. The event was spearheaded by Football Australia, which envisioned the tournament as an opportunity to inspire a generation, shift expectations around women’s sport, and reinforce Australia’s standing on the global stage. It shifted the culture of sport in Australia on its axis, driving a huge upsurge in women and girls playing sport and a fanbase for the Matildas and women’s sport in general.

Since the Women’s World Cup, participation by women and girls in soccer increasing from 21% to 26% since 2021. Programs like MiniTillies have already seen a substantial increase in registrations, indicating a shift towards greater inclusivity and support for women’s football.

Sarah Walsh, Head of AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026, Women’s World Cup 2023 Legacy, Football Australia, said: “Having been a Matilda and been on the other side as a player, I hadn’t seen that type of investment or strategic thinking. I think we really needed to do things differently, and we did.”

“What we did was show women’s sport is actually commercial. It just hadn’t had the thinking and investment that it needed. Mothers of daughters and sons who were told they weren’t sporting fans actually were. It’s opened the door for football in ways we fully don’t know that potential yet.”

James Johnson, CEO of Football Australia, said: “Sydney was really core in the Women’s World Cup, we wanted to ensure that the CommBank Matildas played their first match in Sydney. That match has become the most watched TV program in Australia.

“It’s not the Women’s World Cup anymore, it’s just another World Cup, and that’s something we’re very proud of.”

Proudly supported by Aqualand.

Source: Committee for Sydney – https://sydney.org.au/bloody-fantastic-2024-sydney-awards-recognise-extraordinary-city-shapers-and-changemakers/