At least it's destroyed the myth that it's the quality of the football that is effecting A-League crowds

Should be blatantly obvious to all that it's having something to play for that drives the game

P&R now

Reality is, after the WWC football will become a distant memory, and crowds will go back to being what they always are....

the only positive moving forward, is the participation levels would increase in junior women's grassroot football.

so dont expect 30k at the next Macarthur vs CCM match.

https://sydneyfc.com/news/sydney-fc-break-womens-membership-record-two-months-ahead-of-season?fbclid=IwAR3j9npF5WryWp9f3Q3ssn_-xDMjjnxOKee1rFXWW2xWlNkX0Lymgi21BaY

Sydney FC know what's up 

I think there's also a bit of a wider appreciation of the World Cup (mens & womens) in wider Australian culture.
It was already starting to happen, but this WC in particular has accelerated it.

People (outside of us football fans) are becoming more aware that qualifying for, winning a match or two, and making the 2nd round of a World Cup in a sport that literally the entire planet plays is a much bigger achievement than winning a tournament that only a handful of countries play (eg: Rugby, Cricket, Netball)

Thats great mate but if Sydney FC already had a junior women's setup instead of just boys academy they would have 1000 plus womens members just from all the players and parents across their junior teams by now...... Aleague is playing catch up which is good BUT instead of trying to get more fans maybe the can open up their academy for girls?

I mean they will still be poaching young players from everywhere else like the boys but at least another pathway for the young girls coming in..... instead they look at how they can "market" the buzz.....

The SA govt. have decided they will invest in women's sport instead of giving a public holiday assuming we win the whole thing, but football will only get 10 out of the allotted 18 million, im assuming the other 8 will go to AFL? *cough* 

I have a feeling the other sports will try and milk the success from the Matildas and divert the attention into 'women's sport' as opposed to women's football or football in general.

Im have a bad feeling where this whole thing will land up...

Exactly that. Let the council oval space battles begins where other sports will try and pressure to as much space and funding as possible under the guise of women's and youth sport.

As someone who grew up in Adelaide, I can say that maybe it won't be that bad. Because in some areas, football is so hopelessly last that it would be hard to make an argument for upgrading the foodeee ground. I mean, embarassingly hard. In the area I grew up, the immediate surrounds had one aussie rules ground with a club house. The club house had pokies in it and of course whatever funding that was ever given went straight there. The nerve on these guys as well - the club house has poker machines in it and they even dole out wages to "amateur" aussie rules players. We're talking 4th division local amateurs for gods sake. Over the road there was a large park with playing fields. It was shared between baseball and football. From memory, we're talking something like 12 football pitches, one after the other. Utterly packed on a weekend. And not a single changing room for all the eyes could see. So, I think in that instance, it'd be damned hard for aussie rules to take away that money when they have their own field already. 

Won't mean they'll try though. You only need to get a few numnuts at a council/community consultation to stand up and yell "what about tha cammuuuunity!!!!" and cry for poor old australian rules.

Gotta wonder how these social media algorithms really work and how they're related to the ad spend. I got myself some peace by investing my time in searching then blocking just about every god damn AFL page and group I could find and what do I have for it? FB thinks I'm not interested in ever having AL memes, matildas or socceroos on my main feed (despite like/following) and today it's suggesting "AFL Riverina" ? Apparently the Turvey Park Bulldogs are the most important thingm going around today.

hahahahah 

Wouldn't be surprised if some kids hassle their parents to take them

Would that be salisbury north footy club >?

lots of females sports presenters saying they think soccer will overtake australian sport lol... it almost like the socceroos haven't existed in their mind at all.

yer I agree, come on Muz, there will be some influence - not going OTT but there will be an increase in local regos and maybe just maybe some football playing girls for starters may think you know what, lets go to the local ALW game one day arvo or night.
Then there is plenty single Mums out there with their daughters playing, you'd expect 1 or 2 going to a game ???
Small steps mate, just like womens football beginnings and look where it is now.

I know this kind of talk is subjective but here's a different example, I'm also a wannbee golf hacker.
I bought one of these latest greatest bloody wide mallet putters smilar what the Pro's use.
Didn't like it, so recently I got my boy put it on FB market place and not cheap cheap.
Within 2 days it was gone, this guy turned up saying having watched a recent USA tournament winner sink a few 50 footers its a winner.
Maybe not the best comparo but know what I mean.

Success exposure does draw some in, similar to sponsership, how do you gauge the ROI ?
In time you can see the benefit.
 

Nah, talking very close to port/Lefevre peninsula area

In a way they havent mate...... 

Making out of the groups stage is a MASSIVE undertaking that all of us soccer nerds understand but the rest of Australia sees it as our God given right as Australians and failure to do so means we are shit at the sport so nobody follows..... 

Even now, on the cusp of making a World Cup final, do you think any of the bastards previously bagging out soccer for all of their lives can actually comprehend how huge this is????  If it wasnt on our door step I reckon the buzz would have been massively smaller ... all the pieces have just fallen in their laps for the Matildas, Win and this will be remembered forever, lose and it will be last weeks news...... its sad but its true.... 

Won't be for everyone. Those with only transient interest are unlikely ever to become genuine fans. The people we need to convince are those who OUGHT to be fans. Those who already have skin in the game but dismiss Australia as a football entity because we don't always win (like NRL tests) or never get beaten (like AFL because no-one else plays it).

I estimate there are well over 5 mill people in Australia with at least a family link to football, and close to 2 mill people with a pretty direct link. These are the low hanging fruit that need to be converted.

Of course, Australian football has to get its shambles of a house in order first but the Matildas are certainly doing their bit.

Just did a quick finger and toes count of "live sites" for tonight's game.  (I may have counted toes wrongly as I left shoes on).

71 Live sites !!!!

44 in NSW alone.

Let that sink in.

LETS KICK SOME ASS- GO MATILIDAS

Can feel it seeping away at the stadium right now with this atmosphere. 

yea the AL structure is shit the lack of PR kind of is the heart of the shit structure but their is more too it then that the entire league is very plastic and lacks any real passion - i think use of over-sized stadiums certainly doesnt help 

Thats just nuts.......... 

I am praying you are right .... but , just like that, apart from a few miserly "we played our best"platitudes the radio and tv stories have dried up... will be none by tomorrow, Saturday..... so deflating.

would you say the Matilda's are more popular than the Socceroo's? 

Or is it the fact the Matilda's reached the Semi Finals and went deep into the competition

Definitely they are more popular now then the Socceroos.There a a couple of reasons-firstly they have had a very successful WC tournament with a SF berth and this is a tremendous achievement.Secondly they are a female sports team and as with the women cricketers,netballers swimmers and hockey players women's sport is being pushed to to the forefront by the media and politicians.There is nothing wrong with that because it gets women and girls interested in sport and encourages them to partake as participants and spectators.The Matildas are seen as one of the mainstays for female sports and that they are a football team is somewhat secondary to the fact that they are a pretty successful and marketable female entity.

The Socceroos on the other hand who did well in the last WC do play against other national teams where football is the number one sport and though reaching the R of 16  and only just losing to the eventual winners who had the GOAT in their ranks was appreciated do mainly appeal to football fans.I know there are bandwagoners who do follow the male team when they have some success but they have limited appeal when compared to the Matildas who are now known and appreciated by a larger section of the population.Perhaps a male WC held in Australia and with a well performing Socceroos going deep into the tournament would see a similar rise in the men's popularity.

Thats my take on things too Booney.... There will be a big uptake of young girls taking up competitive team sport (hopefully) after this tournament, I hope the FA are geared up to make sure that a majority of them choose football....  When mums and dads see how much cheaper it is to play something else we may loose quite a few..... 

It's a genuine issue for many. A mate of mine just had to ask his kid to pick one sport, as due to cost-of-living/interest rate stuff they can't afford them all. Kid was playing basketball, football, cricket, tennis, athletics and was interested in trying AFL next year as well. Good kid, didn't make a fuss, just said as long as he can play football he'll be happy. My mate was secretly hoping for basketball as it's the cheapest. The kid is a decent little defender too.

Melbourne's Fed Square won't be used as a live site or show the remaining World Cup games after "disappointing" behaviour during last night's semi-final.

MORE: https://bit.ly/45t9EAo

Straight back to square one with the media I guess...

Time for me to put on an AFL jersey and head to Melbourne and light flares to see the double standards I think.

This is a big call to be honest, because that's not just a government run fan-site (like Canberra's was), it's an official FIFA Fan Festival site.