Football Australia 2022 Annual Review details bounce back from COVID

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FA Annual Review
Images via Football Australia

The way the Australian football community has responded to the post-COVID-normal life this year has been extraordinary and the 2022 participation figures are to be credited to the efforts of Member Federations, A-League Clubs, Associations, Zones, Community Clubs and the large number of volunteers.

The last three years has been a period of significant changes in football and also in the wider society of Australia and around the world, with 2022 being another year of taking the necessary steps to improving the game in the country by taking transformative measures towards the continued evolution and growth of the game.

In December of last year, Football Australia approved the successful completion of a transaction that saw 33.33% of the economic and voting interests within Australian Professional Leagues (APL) be provided to global private equity firm, Silver Lake.

Silver Lake is a leading global technology investment firm, with combined assets of more than $90 billion under management and committed capital along with a team of professionals based in North America, Europe and Asia.

The investment will propel technology enhancements and innovation targeted at improving the fan experience and driving the development of Australia’s premier professional men’s and women’s football competitions, the A-Leagues, along with providing Football Australia to deliver an exciting agenda for improvement of Australian football, as part of the aspiring 15-year vision.

Financial report:

The period for the year ending on 30 June 2022 (FY2022) saw Football Australia operations gradually saw resuming to the levels of the pre-COVID arrangement, the positive news that the restrictions of international travel and the ability to host the Socceroos match in round 3 of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Asian Qualifiers, and also the Matildas being able to host their matches in preparation for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand 2023 – all were well received.

With the unbundling of the professional leagues officially occurring in July 2021, FY2022 was the first year of Football Australia’s operations with the A-Leagues entirely excluded.

The following results were achieved for Football Australia:

  • Operating deficit before grants and distributions for the
    year ended 30 June 2022 of $2.4 million
  • Grants and distributions for the year ended 30 June 2022
    totalling $1.3 million.
  • Net deficit before discontinued operations and
    extraordinary items for the year ended 30 June 2022 is
    $3.7 million.
  • Net surplus after discontinued operations and
    extraordinary items for the year ended 30 June 2022 is
    $3.6 million.
  • Net Members’ Equity at 30 June 2022 is $21.0 million.

Activity report:

A noteworthy grant revenue is linked to Football Australia’s blueprint of its Legacy ’23 plan to invest in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 – it has allowed the funding of $12 million over two years from the Australian Government.

This has provided the means of opportunity for an increased expenditure into the seniors of Australian Football and the Youth Women’s National Teams, as well as the original vigour of Football Australia’s national Club Development Program (Game Plan).

In relation to the technical development, a web application form was created to implement to assist coaches and technical directors to manage live scouting together with reports on the players potential and performances after the matches, which will support Member Federations technical staff to build resources to allow education for coaches in the future.

The five pillars of Legacy ’23 are participation, facilities, leadership and development, tourism and international engagement as well as high performance.

Participation:

As at 2021:

  • 356,607 female participants
  • 26.67% female participants

Facilities:

As at October 2022, the National Facilities Audit has identified that nationally, 40% of existing football facilities are classified as female friendly.

Leadership & development:

Currently, females represent:

  • 20% of active coaches
  • 13% of active referees
  • 50% of Football Australia Board members

Tourism and international engagement:

In August 2022, the federal government committed funding to the Pacific Women’s Player Pathway Program. This program is aimed at giving elite women footballers from Pacific regions the opportunity to participate in and benefit from Australian high-performance infrastructure, expertise, and competition.

High performance:

In 2022, Football Australia has provided our women’s National Teams as follows:

Generally speaking, football’s engagement from a political perspective and an electorate level through to the national office level secured $141.3 million in funding towards infrastructure projects into the sport, the highest of any sport, of which it included $47.4 million from the ALP.

MiniRoos is the foundational program of grassroots football in Australia, encompassing both the MiniRoos Club Football and MiniRoos Kick-Off programs for all participants in football aged 11 and under.

The MiniRoos Kick-Off saw participant numbers hit over 13,000, the highest number of participants in the program since 2019 (prior to COVID-19 disruption).

National teams:

The national stage for Australia’s Women’s team, CommBank Matildas, have turned their attention to building a squad full of depth ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023, while falling short in the continental championships earlier in the year with a quarter-final exit.

The following months that followed saw a list of highlights, counting the long-awaited homecoming in front of over 15,000 fans at CommBank Stadium in a well-deserved 3-1 win against Brazil, the excitement of new talent and the large turnout of crowds for home international matches.

With five players reaching a century of international appearances for the Matildas, four players were welcomed to the national team giving the platform to recognise their potential and gift for years to come.

Meanwhile for the Subway Socceroos, after a strong and persistent qualification of matches played away from home due to travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, they had not hosted a game on home soil since October 2019 playing against Saudi Arabia in a tough and tight affair that finished goalless.

Playing two rounds of qualification against the UAE and Peru, the Men’s national team persevered in the end by qualifying for a fifth successful World Cup that will be remembered as one of the great Australian sporting moments in the country’s history.

Competitions:

Formerly known as the FFA Cup, the Australia Cup, broke records that saw A-League Men side Macarthur FC defeating NSW National Premier Leagues Sydney United 58 2-0 at CommBank Stadium almost breaking the record Cup attendance playing in front of 16,461 passionate fans.

The highlights of the Australia Cup 2022 were known for various reasons such as a record of 742 club entries across the country, achieving record crowds and breaking broadcast audiences, along with a highly successful tournament capturing the heart and minds of the Australian football community throughout 2022.

The Magic of the Cup displayed fairy tale moments such as Sydney United 58 triumphing over A-League sides Western United and Brisbane Roar, with Oakleigh Cannons also claiming a hard-fought win against Sydney FC.

However, when Oakleigh Cannon’s 13-year-old reserve goalkeeper Ymer Abili was subbed on late for his side against Macarthur FC, attracting worldwide attention was arguably the highlight of the tournament and undoubtedly for years to come.

The Annual Review can be viewed in full here.

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Why Australia is unlikely to host a Men’s World Cup in the near future

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Image credit: Football Australia

In December of last year, Saudi Arabia was officially announced as the host nation for the 2034 FIFA World Cup.

This makes them the fourth country from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to host the tournament—following Japan and South Korea in 2002, and more recently, Qatar in 2022.

What stood out about Saudi Arabia’s selection, though, was the lack of competition—they ended up being the only country to submit a formal bid.

Australia, a fellow AFC member nation had initially expressed interest in hosting the 2034 World Cup, but with Saudi Arabia heavily investing in their bid and momentum clearly shifting in their favor, Australia chose to step back.

Instead, they redirected their focus toward hosting the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup—an event they were awarded in 2024—and the 2029 Club World Cup.

This isn’t the first time Australia has tried to bring the World Cup Down Under. Back in 2010, they launched a bid to host the 2022 tournament.

However, it ended in disappointment—they received just one vote in the first round, while Qatar controversially secured hosting rights under what many described as “suspicious circumstances.”

Now, 15 years after that failed bid, and with Saudi Arabia next in line to host, it seems increasingly unlikely that Australia will get a World Cup anytime soon. And there are several reasons why that might be the case.

Cost Factor

One of the major reasons Australia may not host a men’s FIFA World Cup in the near future is due to the enormous cost involved in staging the tournament.

According to Statista, Qatar spent a staggering $220 billion USD ($342 billion AUD) to host the 2022 World Cup, making it the most expensive edition in the tournament’s history.

This was largely due to Qatar needing to build much of the necessary infrastructure from scratch.

Even so, previous World Cups have still come with hefty price tags.

Russia spent around $11.6 billion USD ($18 billion AUD) to host the 2018 tournament, while Brazil’s 2014 World Cup cost about $15 billion USD ($23 billion AUD).

In fact, the last men’s World Cup to cost under $1 billion USD ($1.56 billion AUD) was the 1994 tournament held in the United States.

In contrast, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup—co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand—had a far more modest price tag.

According to FIFA’s bid evaluation report, the tournament was expected to cost around $150 million AUD, with just over $100 million AUD contributed by governments.

Not only does the Women’s World Cup cost significantly less to host, but many of the stadiums and infrastructure acceptable for the women’s tournament would fall short of FIFA’s stricter requirements for the men’s event.

To meet those higher standards, Australia would need to make substantial upgrades, adding further to the cost.

Beyond the economic risks, there’s also a broader question of national priorities.

Australia may ultimately decide that the billions required to secure and host a men’s World Cup could be better invested elsewhere—into areas that deliver more lasting and equitable benefits for the population.

For example, upgrading the nation’s public health system, affordable housing initiatives, education infrastructure, and climate resilience projects are all pressing needs that demand long-term funding and attention.

Investments in regional transport networks, Indigenous community support, and renewable energy development could arguably provide a stronger return on investment in terms of social and economic outcomes.

Given these competing priorities and the immense cost of hosting, Australia may find that the pursuit of a men’s FIFA World Cup is a luxury it simply can’t justify—at least not in the foreseeable future.

Rival Interest

Rival nations within the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) would play a major role in limiting Australia’s chances of hosting a Men’s FIFA World Cup.

The FIFA World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world, and the competition to host it is incredibly fierce.

Countries go to great lengths to secure hosting rights, especially within the AFC, where Arab nations in particular have been extremely proactive.

One major factor is the concept of sportswashing—the practice of using sports to improve a country’s global image, often as a way to divert attention from human rights issues or political controversies.

This has become especially common in the Middle East over the past decade.

Between early 2021 and mid-2023, Saudi Arabia alone reportedly spent $6.3 billion on sportswashing efforts, including around 300 sponsorship deals.

Their investments span across numerous sports: boxing, motorsport, snooker, golf, ATP tennis, cricket, and even the America’s Cup sailing regatta.

However, football has been their biggest focus.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia’s top-tier football league—the Saudi Pro League (SPL)—has emerged as Asia’s most high-profile domestic competition.

This rise in prominence has largely been driven by the league signing world-famous players to extremely lucrative contracts.

The most notable example is Cristiano Ronaldo, arguably the most recognisable athlete on the planet, who joined Al Nassr on a deal reported to be worth around $207 million USD (approximately $322 million AUD) per season.

But Saudi influence in football isn’t limited to their domestic league. They’ve also hosted major international club competitions.

For instance, five of the last six editions of the Supercopa de España—a tournament featuring the top Spanish clubs—have been held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital.

Now it’s not just the World Cup, looking at the AFC Asian Cup, the premier men’s international football tournament in Asia, three of the last four editions were hosted by Arab nations.

Qatar alone hosted it twice during that period and Saudi Arabia is also set to host the 2027 edition.

So, Australia faces stiff competition within the AFC for the rights to host a World Cup—particularly from wealthy and politically influential Arab nations that have a proven track record of securing major football events.

The last FIFA World Cup (2022) was held in Qatar, and the next AFC host is Saudi Arabia and based on the current pattern, it wouldn’t be surprising if another Arab nation—such as the UAE—secured the next opportunity after that.

Location

One major factor that could affect Australia’s chances of hosting a men’s FIFA World Cup is its geographical location.

Because Australia is so far from Europe and the Americas—where most of the global football audience is—many matches would air at inconvenient times in those regions, potentially lowering TV viewership.

This issue was already evident during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which was co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

According to FIFA, the final between Spain and England reached 222.02 million viewers.

That’s a noticeable drop compared to the 2019 final in France, where the USA faced the Netherlands and drew 263.62 million viewers.

A decline like this in viewership could make FIFA and its broadcasting partners think twice about holding a men’s World Cup in Australia.

Speaking of broadcasting, broadcast rights are another concern with time zone differences potentially reducing the value of international broadcast deals, since matches wouldn’t air during prime hours in key markets.

In fact, ahead of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, FIFA reportedly missed its target for selling broadcast rights by about $100 million USD ( $155 million AUD), according to the Wall Street Journal.

FIFA had hoped to bring in $300 million USD ($466 million AUD), but only managed around $200 million USD ($310 million AUD).

It even reached a point where FIFA president Gianni Infantino warned of a possible TV blackout across Europe unless broadcasters increased their offers.

All of this shows how Australia’s remote location could seriously impact global viewership and broadcasting revenue, making it a tougher sell as a host for a future men’s World Cup.

Conclusion

So, in light of these financial, geopolitical, and logistical challenges, it’s clear that the odds of Australia hosting a FIFA World Cup remain firmly stacked against them—making another failed bid not just possible, but increasingly probable.

Given the significant financial demands, complex geopolitical dynamics, and substantial logistical hurdles involved, it becomes increasingly evident that Australia faces an uphill battle in its pursuit of hosting a FIFA World Cup.

These compounding challenges not only diminish the likelihood of a successful bid in the near future, but also raise the probability that any renewed attempt could end in yet another disappointment.

Chelsea FC Women Renews Partnership with Škoda UK

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Image Credit: Chelsea FC website

Chelsea FC Women has revealed its renewal and expansion of its partnership with Škoda UK, naming the automotive brand as the club’s first-ever Official Back of Shirt Partner.

The renewed agreement will carry through the 2025/26 season and beyond, strengthening a collaboration that first took shape in January 2024. It underscores Škoda’s ongoing commitment to investing in women’s sport.

Under the new sponsorship deal, Škoda’s logo will appear prominently on the back of all Chelsea FC Women matchday kits, beginning with the closing fixtures of the 2024/25 season. The branding launch will align with Chelsea’s historic celebration of a sixth consecutive Barclays Women’s Super League title — a moment of major visibility for both the club and the brand.

Strategic Sponsorship in a Champion Setting

The timing of the extended agreement comes as Chelsea FC Women continues its commanding presence in English football — boasting eight league titles to date and eyeing a domestic treble. Škoda branding will also feature during the Adobe Women’s FA Cup Final at Wembley on 18 May, providing a high-profile platform for national exposure.

Commercial Director at Chelsea FC Women, Giulia Mazzia, highlighted the brand’s alignment with Chelsea FC Women and its broader values.

“To welcome Škoda as our first Official Back of Shirt Partner illustrates our ambition to innovate and integrate partners into our business model.

“Škoda helps us connect with fans locally and globally through both matchday presence and digital content,” she said via press release.

Beyond the Shirt: Mobility, Media and Matchday Moments

Škoda’s joint venture with Chelsea FC Women extends well beyond shirt branding, underscoring a shared commitment to innovation, performance and progress in women’s sport.

As part of the renewed deal, Chelsea Women’s players and staff — including the Women’s Academy — will be supported with vehicles from Škoda’s all-electric Enyaq range and the Kodiaq iV plug-in hybrid. This seamless integration into the team’s day-to-day operations reflects both the practical and symbolic strength of the partnership.

Škoda will also:

  • Continue as title sponsor of the “We Are Chelsea” podcast
  • Deliver exclusive digital content across Chelsea FC Women and Škoda UK channels
  • Drive a Škoda vehicle ahead of the team bus into Stamford Bridge on select matchdays — a symbolic “arrival” moment that adds visual impact and storytelling potential

Amplifying Brand Values Through Women’s Sport

Škoda has long supported women’s sport, particularly through its established ties to professional cycling — including the Tour de France Femmes and the Škoda Cycling Academy. Its growing investment in women’s football through Chelsea FC Women reflects a broader strategy centred on mobility, inclusion and elite performance.

Head of Marketing at Škoda UK, Kirsten Stagg, underscored the shared values at the heart of the collaboration.

“Chelsea Women exemplify many of the core values we hold at Škoda. It’s a privilege to partner with a team that shares our commitment to excellence and community,” she said via press release.

The brand has also welcomed five Chelsea players as official ambassadors, who will feature across digital content, grassroots and community programs, and Škoda’s internal brand initiatives.

Commercial Significance and Industry Context

Škoda’s continued investment in Chelsea FC Women reflects key trends in the evolving sports marketing landscape. With growing fan engagement, the rising value of sponsorship on women’s kits, and brands aligning with purpose-driven clubs, the partnership showcases the shift towards purpose-led collaborations.

Digital-first engagement through podcasts, player content, and matchday activations is central to long-term sponsorship success. Women’s football is quickly becoming a powerful platform for brand storytelling and global visibility.

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