Whether it was going head-to-head with colleagues in a friendly office sweep or watching the games live with family and friends, it seems there were few who could escape the Women’s World Cup fever. And who could blame us? This record-breaking event had it all.   

By the quarterfinals, the Women’s World Cup had contributed $7.6 billion to the national economy. By tournament’s end, it had generated $889 million in FIFA income, coming second only to last year’s Men’s World Cup in Qatar. 

Matildas’ jerseys sold like hot cakes and their semi-final match became the most televised event – sports or otherwise – with 11.15 million Australians tuning in. 

Not to mention the almost two million fans who watched the games inside 10 stadiums across Australia and New Zealand, breaking the 1.5 million tickets goal set by FIFA. 

Harnessing the power of momentum: Our clients weigh in 

At IMPACT, we’re incredibly proud to be working with amazing women as part of our clientele. We spoke to Modibodi’s Chief Marketing Officer, Liana Lorenzato and Gartner’s HR Advisory Principal Jasleen Kaur to get their thoughts on what it means for women, sport, brands, and for the Australian community.  

Brand and marketing 

One of the biggest winners from the Cup has been the incredible opportunity for brands from a marketing and media perspective.  

Australia’s women’s football has wasted no time capitalising from a media and marketing perspective. A-League Women has announced it will kick off the 2023-24 season with a standalone round in October, one week ahead of the men’s competition, in what will be in longest season yet. And Sydney FC has already broken the club’s A-League Women’s Membership record two months ahead of the start of the Liberty A-League season. 

Chief Marketing Officer for Modibodi, Liana Lorenzato says: “It shows organisations there is value in women’s sports at all ages (and genders) across all codes and this provides an opportunity to reach a highly engaged audience. It all starts in grassroots programs.” 

“It (also) shows that women’s sports have social, business, and economic benefits (though some of us already knew this). I would hope the right people at the right level see this and govern the changes we need,” she explains. 

Diversity and gender equality 

The Women’s World Cup has opened the door to a myriad of discussions around gender equality and diversity on and off the field. 

Gartner’s HR Advisory Principal, Jasleen Kaur, observes the interest in women’s sports is inspirational and has the potential to drive positive impacts beyond the realm of football.  

“It will encourage women to explore careers that perhaps seemed unattainable and unrealistic in the past, leading to a balanced representation across various industries, not just sports. 

“Organisations need to learn how to hold space for women and other underrepresented talent in their system by being intentionally inclusive and removing barriers to access to opportunity.”