For mine it  was the Aus media.

Journos and reporters came from everywhere in Aus - that I had barely heard of before in a football context. They covered everything about the Matlidas, obviously  authorised by their bosses.

I could  not believe all the journos ( who I'd never heard of before in a football context) who were saying how much they loved the game of football and how much they liked reporting on it. I'm surmising they will all disappear now and normal coverage of egg ball and every other sport, except football, will resume.

One event was poignant though. Bruce McAvaney, who most of us thought shouldn't report on football at all, stated that even though he loved AFL, no sport has anything like the capacity of football to galvanise the nation uniting behind a national team like the Matildas have  achieved in the last few weeks.

Fair call, 

...well Optus has already started an advertising campaign linking all the stars of this tournament to their Euro clubs ..... 

I feel like I've seen this before. With every major tournament, there's an increase in interest for football. The increase has been larger since it was here but I feel like in a month or so, the interest will return to normal. Australia is not a football country. I hope it changes but I don't think it will in my lifetime.

As the world gets smaller and people become increasingly conscious that there is only one truly global game, we will increasingly take it seriously if we want a seat at that table.

When I say "we" I mean everyone.

Hopefully, this world cup has made a permanent impression on the young.

Lived through to many new dawns to believe anything will change.

Unfortunately in Greece, flares and hooliganism is well accepted and the authorities pay lip service to the issue.

I've seen 8 - 12 year olds let off crackers and flares at village games without one bit of rebuff from the adults attending or club members. In fact, it's applauded.

There lies your problem.

That's been said many a times before but to no avail. Soccer people don't seem to know how to capitalize but are really good in shooting themselves in the foot.

It has started:

https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-one-thing-the-matildas-shouldn-t-inspire-young-kids-to-do-20230818-p5dxij.html

Head trauma from heading footballs.

Luckily it doesn't appear there are any effects from being punched or shoulder charged through the head or slam tackled into the ground in AFL/rugby/league.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.abc.net.au/article/102744290

👍🏼

It’s a step in the right direction from a (taxpayer funded) organisation that routinely ignores football but is over the top on AFL reporting.

ALW really should have started either this weekend or the following weekend. The October start means there is nearly 2 months gap from the WC. Momentum will almost certainly have dwindled by then.

Look, I know we only have 2 players from the A-League in the World Cup Matildas' squad. But hard no from me.
Yes, it should be earlier than it is, but that's only a 1-2 week break between the World Cup and the season starting. Should generally be around a month.

Maybe, but either way it should be way less than 8 weeks.

Same with the mens's also, I dont know why the APL is wanting to start the a-league season after the egg ball codes are done.
Why they are scared? Seriously.

Talking about not building on the momentum, then again its the APL we are talking about here.

Sort of. The FA actually sets which months the A-Leagues takes place, then the APL sets specific dates/times of the individual matches within those months. That being said, I reckon FA would be making their decision based on direct input from the APL.

Would probably be due to us having a shorter season than lining it up with Europe. Where it is and it's length sort of makes it sit perfectly to align with each of the following in some way:

* After egg ball
* During Euro season
* Most of the season in one side of the year

Thats pretty decent by ABC no less..... 

A League attendances and ratings not declining again would be welcome. And no, increases after Covid don't count. 
The only figures that's matter for you comparison are the last pre covid season. 

Particularly because they could have also paused the league in January for the Asia Cup, where there is a good chance the Socceroos will go deep in the tournament. So starting a few weeks earlier in September it would have had a double advantage: take advantage of the WWC momentum, and avoid the AC (plus the worst of the summer heat). Instead, because they're afraid of going up against the AFL/NRL, we have to wait two months after the end of the WWC, and then play a chunk of the season without Goodwin, McLaren, etc.

And AFLW starts in a week, so anyone inspired by the Matildas looking for a women's sport fix will be served by AFL rather than football. Farce.

AFLW have already triumphantly announced they are receiving equal prize money as the mens competition this year...

Very good points. My two young daughters (6 & 4) are so keen to go to more matches and with kids you gotta strike while the iron is hot!! 

At least Victory is putting out some good content and signing announcements for the women's team, which is building some excitement.

Yep, 'equal' in that sense is total prize money, but distributed amongst 8 teams rather than 4 (so really, it's half). Another great example of AFL spinning the media to invent women's sport

Well Graham Arnold is calling for a longer season anyway, it seems they are listening to the APLs input as you mentioned and they dont want the season to start sooner.

Anyway I dont understand why the sport needs to do this, just back yourself and go your own way after all the players need more games if they want to compete at higher levels of the game.

I agree its ridiculous, no wonder the game continues to shoot itself in the foot from time to time.

A-League mens and womens have had equal prize money since their beginning.

AFL HQ PR team in over drive 

If I could like this 100 times I would 

lol yeah I know... they are the MASTERS of spin......