UPDATE: The CommBank Matildas’ unprecedented impression on the Australian football landscape looks to be continuing with early registration numbers soaring ahead of the new season.
Sam Kerr and her team-mates captured the country’s imagination with their brilliant run to the semi-finals of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
They backed that up later in the year with three sell-out Olympic qualifiers in Perth, including an 8-0 demolition of the Philippines in front of 60,000 fans at Optus Stadium.
Football West was confident their success would inspire more players, especially girls and women, to sign up and the initial signs are very positive.
As of Friday 16 February, Football West data shows:
- Female player registrations in WA are up 67.1% on this time last year
- Overall registrations have hit 24,455 and are tracking 32.8% up on the same period in 2023
- Referees have seen a whopping 75.9% jump across the state from the same time 12 months ago
Football West CEO Jamie Harnwell said: “In the lead-up to the World Cup and at the height of Matildas-mania last year, Football West committed to providing a legacy for the game in this state and this is what we are seeing with the early registration figures.
“It was always about meeting the demand, and credit must go to our clubs, associations and their volunteers, as well as Football West staff, for being prepared for the growth in interest.
“The numbers are very encouraging, especially with so many women and girls having already registered.
“While we are delighted with these levels of growth so far, we know there is a lot of hard work ahead to provide an enjoyable season for all of our participants in 2024.”
There was further positive news this week, with the 2023 Sporting Schools report showing that football finished as the number one most requested sport in Western Australia.
Anyone looking to play, coach, referee or volunteer in 2024 can do so via Play Football.