The Matildas go Beyond Greatness™ for the Round of 16
Outside of the stadiums, the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ has hosted a series of events, including the Beyond Greatness Speaker Series in capital cities around Australia.
These have been attended by legendary sports figures of today and the past, including Cathy Freeman, Adam Gilchrist and Layne Beachley as well as leading female figures in entertainment and business. Former Governor-General Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO, Celeste Barber and Madison de Rozario (pictured above) were the on the speaker panel in Brisbane where sports journalist Tara Rushton was MC for the event.
Australia’s Nation Brand has proudly been on show at each of the lunches, with thanks to the Office For Sport who have supported the brand, as part of this once in a generation event which has seen the Matildas break new ground, elevating women’s sport to new heights with record ticket and merchandise sales, spectator attendance and inspiring match winning performances all on home soil.
Beyond Greatness™ continued last night with the Sydney Opera House glowing in green and gold as the Matildas successfully defeated Denmark 2-0 during the Round of 16 at Stadium Australia, Sydney – Wangal. The game played in front of 75,784 spectators at the stadium and drew a five-city metro audience of 2.294 million viewers on Seven making it the highest-rating TV program of 2023.
As of Friday, 4 August, more than 1.715m tickets were sold to games across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, while China’s national team, China PR, produced the highest audience for a single match anywhere in the world with 53.9 million viewers watching them play against England.
Each of the Beyond Greatness Speaker Series have also featured a panel of football players who shared their insights into the Matildas’ game play and their ideas of what Beyond Greatness means.
Former Matilda and Football Australia Head of Women’s Football, Sarah Walsh, former Matilda Emily Gielnik and English player Izzy Christiansen were in Brisbane.
Walsh said she believes that the Matildas have gone Beyond Greatness; they are doing more than playing football.
“They’ve broken the way in which this society sees women’s roles in sport,” she said.
For Gielnik, to be living through a FIFA Women’s World Cup on home soil is more than she could have imagined happening in her lifetime, let alone to see what it is doing for women in sport.
“Beyond Greatness is something we are witnessing at this moment,” she said.
“It’s been truly inspirational in what it is doing for women in sport, women’s football and the projection of women’s football in the future.”
Perhaps Beyond Greatness is that tipping point: where greatness inspires a transformation.
Australia’s Nation Brand is created to support Australians to go beyond our shores and seek new paths and opportunities. It supports the bold and the brave.
Austrade’s GM of Communication & Marketing, Jessica Hamilton was at the Brisbane event.
She said: “One of the reasons the brand was created is to help Australian businesses forge new international trade pathways with a nation brand backing them along the way. Being on show to the world at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023™, we are in the best of company. And we’re 100 per cent behind the Matildas for the rest of the tournament.”
More than 440 free marketing assets and resources are freely available to be used by any Australian business promoting their product or service overseas. Australia’s Nation Brand’s assets and style guide are available for free. It is also for use by industry associations and organisations, and Federal, State, Territory, and local governments for use at home or internationally.
Learn more about FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ at FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™ and take your business to the world with Australia’s Nation Brand.
Photo by Matt Roberts FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images