Football Australia today reaffirmed its commitment to advancing women\u2019s football across New South Wales, calling for sustained, long-term investment to ensure the state can meet the rapidly increasing demand for female participation.<\/p>\n
As the CommBank Matildas prepare to compete in the AFC Women\u2019s Asian Cup Australia 2026\u2122 Final in Sydney on Saturday evening, their success continues to inspire communities across NSW, and the nation, and this follows the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023\u2122 where there was unprecedented growth in women\u2019s football, with female participation in NSW increasing by nearly 31% between 2022 and 2025.<\/p>\n
This trajectory has been further strengthened during the AFC Women\u2019s Asian Cup Australia 2026\u2122, for which Sydney has served as the tournament\u2019s epicentre.<\/p>\n
New South Wales, which has been hosting the competition\u2019s major fixtures, including the Final, is expected to welcome more than 260,000 attendees, including over 25,000 interstate and international visitors, with the tournament forecast to contribute an estimated $260 million in national economic output.<\/p>\n
This momentum emphasises the need to bridge the \u2018facilities gap\u2019 across the state between the current condition of community infrastructure and the standards required to ensure playable facilities.<\/p>\n
Investment is essential, including in female-friendly changerooms, lighting, drainage capacity and new amenities\u2014all of which provide a safe, equitable and year-round environment for women and girls.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GettyImages-2265482677.jpg\")
\nMatch attendance displayed on the big screen during the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 match between Australia Matildas and Korea Republic at Stadium Australia on March 08, 2026 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Independent analysis undertaken for Football Australia, Football NSW and Northern NSW Football determined that the state requires a ten-year infrastructure plan, costing $343 million to adequately address the facilities gap at the grassroots level.<\/p>\n
Football Australia, Football NSW and Northern NSW Football are therefore calling on the NSW Government to establish an NSW AFC Women\u2019s Asian Cup Australia 2026\u2122 Legacy Fund, consisting of annual grant rounds of up to $34 million over ten years, commencing after the tournament. The fund would be administered by the NSW Office of Sport in collaboration with Football NSW and Northern NSW Football.<\/p>\n
This long-term investment would:<\/p>\n
Deliver new and upgraded community facilities with a priority focus on female-friendly and gender inclusive changeroomsImprove accessibility, safety and playing capacity across metropolitan, regional and remote communitiesSupport multi\u2011use facilities that benefit multiple sporting codesStrengthen participation pathways for women and girls across all age groupsEnsure the legacy of the AFC Women\u2019s Asian Cup 2026 endures well beyond the conclusion of the tournament<\/p>\n
Quotes attributable to Football Australia Chief Executive Officer,\u00a0Martin Kugeler:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFootball Australia, alongside Football NSW and Northern NSW Football, is calling on the NSW Government to deliver a long\u2011term grassroots football facilities fund to ensure the state can meet demand and secure a meaningful legacy for women\u2019s football.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith unprecedented growth placing significant pressure on community clubs and facilities, many clubs are struggling to keep pace, with outdated and inadequate infrastructure limiting opportunities for women and girls.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe shortage of female\u2011friendly changerooms is a particularly critical issue, impacting safe and equitable access to the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cWomen\u2019s sport, and football in particular, are essential to building a more equal, healthy and inclusive society, and their continued growth strengthens communities at every level across our state.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSecuring its future in NSW requires infrastructure that meets contemporary standards, supports equitable access, and reflects the expectations of the growing number of women and girls participating in the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hope to work closely with the NSW Government, Football NSW, Northern NSW Football, local councils and community clubs to ensure that the legacy of the AFC Women\u2019s Asian Cup 2026 delivers long\u2011lasting benefits for communities throughout the state.\u201d<\/p>\n
Quote attributable to Football NSW CEO John Tsatsimas<\/p>\n
\u201cThe growth of women\u2019s football in New South Wales is not a short-term trend\u2014it represents a fundamental shift in participation and expectation across our communities. To sustain this momentum, we must invest in infrastructure that is inclusive, accessible, and fit for purpose, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to play, develop and thrive in the game.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cHistorically, established and aging facilities do not cater for all gender use which doesn\u2019t support growing participation by women and girls.\u00a0 Across NSW, fields currently lose around 34% of their capacity due to playing field conditions.\u00a0 These issues include lack of functional drainage infrastructure, insufficient lighting, no irrigation or substandard below ground infrastructure to cater for the significant use, growing demands and climatic conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe call on the government to invest in the largest participation sport in NSW to bridge the growing facilities gap in NSW which will deliver economic and social long-term benefits through connected communities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Quotes attributable to Northern NSW Football CEO Peter Haynes:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are seeing record participation numbers across northern NSW, with women\u2019s and girls\u2019 football a huge part of that growth. The game has never been more popular but government investment levels have not kept pace. The demand is not coming \u2013 it\u2019s already here.<\/p>\n
\u201cRecruitment numbers in women\u2019s and girls\u2019 football across our region are booming. More players, more teams, more competitions but without the infrastructure and support to match, that growth becomes increasingly difficult to sustain. We\u2019re welcoming more and more new players to the game, many for the first time. That\u2019s incredibly exciting but it also brings a responsibility to ensure we can provide the environments they deserve.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a defining moment. We have unprecedented momentum in the women\u2019s game, particularly in regional northern NSW. But without long-term investment, we risk that progress stalling. Regional northern NSW is experiencing a genuine boom in women\u2019s football. The challenge now is ensuring that opportunity is matched with access to high-quality facilities, programs and pathways.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe numbers don\u2019t lie. Participation across northern NSW is at record levels and still rising. Now is the time for governments, partners and stakeholders to step up and invest in the future of the game. We have the players, the passion and the momentum. What we need now is the long-term investment to ensure women\u2019s football not only grows but thrives for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Football Australia today reaffirmed its commitment to advancing women\u2019s football across New South Wales, calling for sustained, long-term…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":553745,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,952,7797,44],"class_list":["post-553744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-featured","tag-football-australia-news","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/553744","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=553744"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/553744\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/553745"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=553744"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=553744"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=553744"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}