The reverberations of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 in Australia have not only shaken the grounds of sports arenas but have also sent ripples through the corporate world. Minerva Network stands at the forefront of recognising and applauding this transformative tectonic shift that has unfolded in the nation's sporting landscape, with a resolute focus on empowering women athletes to reach new heights.
Christine McLoughlin AM, Chairman and Co-Founder of Minerva Network, captured the essence of this paradigm shift when interviewed for a recent article in The Australian. Describing the tournament as triggering a "tectonic shift," showing the power of women’s sport, Christine called on the business community to back more sportswomen. “The intersection of sport with soft diplomacy, business and communities has played out in spades in the lead-up to and over these last weeks of the FIFA 2023 Women’s World Cup.” she said. “It’s time for us as a nation to get behind the Matildas off the field as well. Sam Kerr’s famous calf has put a global spotlight on the implications of injury.
“That’s why what we do at Minerva Network becomes so important: enabling our professional women athletes to thrive and soar off the field.”
The statistics make for compelling evidence of the tournament’s popularity and commerciality:
- 4.2 million average TV audience: Matildas vs France on Channel 7 with a peak viewership of 7.2 million.
- 472,000 viewers streamed the matches on 7plus, marking an all-time high for streaming events in Australia.
- 1.7 million tickets sold at the conclusion of the group stage on August 4, surpassing the previous record of 1.3 million.
- 13 x more Matildas jerseys sold than the 2019 World Cup.
A recent report by the Victorian Office for Women in Sport and Recreation titled "The Value of You Can Be What You Can See" reveals that for every $1 a corporate sponsor invests in enhancing the visibility of women's elite sports, an average of $7.29 in customer value is realised for the organisation. This finding underscores the tangible and mutually beneficial outcomes that stem from supporting women's sports on a corporate level.
Investing in women’s sport is no longer just the "right" thing to do; it’s a commercially smart thing to do.
As the eyes of the world converge on Australia for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023, the nation's sporting landscape has been irrevocably transformed. The Minerva Network, along with its partners, passionately champions this shift, empowering women athletes and contributing to the amplification of their voices on and off the field. This tectonic change has not only redefined the narrative of Australian sports but also serves as a resounding testament to the enduring power of perseverance, unity, and unwavering support.
