The Matildas effect: Albanese gives extra $200m for women’s sport
Women’s sport will get a $200 million funding injection from the federal government, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese moves to capitalise on Matildas fever stemming from the World Cup.
Matildas captain Sam Kerr this week said the greatest legacy of the team’s success in the tournament should be more financial support for female sports in Australia.
The team plays Sweden on Saturday night for third place, ending a campaign that has already achieved the best-ever result for a national soccer team at World Cup level, and which has delivered Australia its newest crop of sporting heroes.
Sports Minister Anika Wells with Comms Minister Michelle Rowland and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese who met skateboarder Chloe Covell before announcing funding for women’s sports, in Brisbane on Saturday. Alex Ellinghausen
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on Friday the competition had generated more than $887 million in revenue, a surprise break-even amount that will intensify calls for women to get the same prize money as men in their tournament.
But the boss of soccer’s governing body downplayed calls for equity among men and women in terms of payments – including from the Matildas before the tournament.
Demands for equal prize money were a “slogan” that “would not solve anything”, he said.
The Women’s World Cup prize pool is $US110 million ($171 million), meaning the Matildas will each earn about $280,000 for the tournament if they win on Saturday and about $257,000 if they finish fourth. The prize pool for the men’s Cup is about $686 million – about four times the size of the women’s.
Mr Albanese met Matildas members in Brisbane on Saturday before their match at Suncorp Stadium and will promise additional funding to improve
Read more on afr.com
