Almost every major event in the country has been included on the list,from the State of Origin,to the AFL and Commonwealth Games. But as it stands,the Women’s World Cup isnotprotected. And this tournament on Australian (and New Zealand) soil wasn’t deemed to be “nationally important” or “culturally significant” for the Australian public,according to the federal government.
This is startling,given the investment in the Women’s World Cup and the barrage of rhetoric from all and sundry encouraging us to support the growth of women’s sport.
A close look at the Broadcasting Services (Events) Notice 2023 reveals the FIFA Women’s World Cup is considered a separate event to the men’s World Cup,which is why it has been excluded.
Worse,“the minister can also choose to add or remove events from the anti-siphoning list at any time”,meaning there was ample opportunity to add the women’s event – from the moment the hosting announcement was made in June 2020 and the broadcast deal was struck in August 2021.
When I asked direct questions of Communications Minister Michelle Rowland,a spokesperson offered the following:“Broadcasting key sporting competitions in which Australian teams participate,such the FIFA Women’s World Cup,fosters a collective Australian identity,and contributes to grassroots community-based participation.
Loading
“The government is currently reviewing the anti-siphoning scheme to ensure that it operates effectively in a contemporary media environment. The review is considering the application of the scheme to streaming services,and the composition of the list.”
When it comes to broadcasting football rights,meanwhile,FIFA is fluent in the language of the almighty dollar. In 2022,football’s world governing body revealed it generatedan unprecedented $7.5 billion in revenue through four years of commercial deals tied to the World Cup in Qatar.
When Optus secured the rights,theAustralian Financial Review reported it paid an estimated $US8 million ($A10.4 million) and would on-sell the rights to afree-to-air broadcaster. At the time,the Optus vice-president of TV,content and product development,Clive Dickens,said “the right free-to-air broadcast partner must want to join FIFA and Optus Sport on the journey of promoting women’s sport. That’s the most important criteria.”
With the exception of the two broadcasters which have done a superb job in broadcasting the event thus far,none of this deal sanctioned by FIFA smacks of promoting women’s sport and “accessibility”,as stated in its core principles. After all,the television rights deals are a vital cog in the FIFA cartel’s financial stratosphere.
To see any broadcast arrangement as a chance for every person to consume the beautiful game is evidently romantic. While the broadcast ownership rights rest solely with FIFA,I did dare to wonder whether Football Australia executives broached the subject with their government counterparts given their devoutLegacy ’23 strategy to “harness the growth of women’s football and deliver enduring benefits for Australia’s largest community sport beyond 2023,including becoming the first community sport to reach gender parity in participation”.
“We did hold discussions with the communications minister’s office a few years[ago],who inquired about how the media rights would be structured,and they appeared comfortable after we explained how FIFA was approaching it,” a Football Australia media spokesperson said.
The next time you think to criticise Optus or Channel 7 for the lack of accessibility,think again about where your anger should be directed. You will have given more thought to this issue than the custodians of both the game and the country.
I have always been a firm believer in the old adage:if you can’tseeit,you can’tdream it. Right now,the only little girls seeing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in its entirety are the ones with an Optus subscription or a match day ticket.
Lucy Zelic is a television sports presenter and journalist.
The Opinion newsletter is a weekly wrap of views that will challenge,champion and inform your own.Sign up here.