FIFA Women’s World Cup provides the opportunity to score business goals

As the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 kicks-off in South Australia, a ‘women in leadership’ networking event hosted by the British High Commissioner to Australia, the British Deputy Consulate General and in partnership with Invest SA, has provided the opportunity to mix sport with business, as they visit the state to take in the most watched single-sporting event for women in the world.

Coopers Stadium will feature in one of the most highly anticipated blockbusters, as reigning European champions, England, nicknamed ‘the Lionesses’, take on China PR in the fourth of four Group Stage matches to be held at the stadium.

To coincide with the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 and welcoming the Lionesses to Adelaide, the British High Commissioner for Australia, Her Excellency Ms Vicki Treadell CMG MVO and the British Deputy Consulate General Ms Catriona Boyd, will host an all-female panel featuring women in leadership and sport, including Deputy Premier of South Australia, Susan Close, Chief Executive of Sport SA and Women’s Football at The Football Association, Marzena Bogdanowicz. 

The panel session will be facilitated by Ms Ticky Fullerton, the new CEO of the Australian British Chamber of Commerce. Ms Fullerton was previously the NSW Director for the Chamber and Business Editor at Large at The Australian Business Review.

“Sport, like business, is about both competition and collaboration, said Her Excellency, Ms Vicki Treadell CMG MVO, British High Commissioner for Australia.

“As the greatest women footballers in the world, including our Lionesses, compete in Australia, I can think of no better backdrop to meet with women in leadership in Adelaide to share learning and opportunities.”

The event provided attendees with the opportunity to meet industry leaders, researchers and academia that are in Adelaide for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023. The Women in Leadership event will explore topics surrounding the growth of women’s sport on a global scale, the support required to transform women’s sport into a commercial success, the challenges faced by women in leadership positions and the invaluable contributions their diverse perspectives and opinions bring to the decision-making process.

The World Cup provides the opportunity for sports diplomacy to bring people, communities, nations and regions together and is an increasingly important aspect of diplomatic practice. Sport is a universal language and plays a unique role in shaping and showcasing identity, values and culture. 

The women in leadership event provided attendees with the opportunity to network and develop people-to-people links, whilst the presence of the British High Commissioner and the British Deputy Consulate General will build upon a mutually beneficial relationship that can take advantage of the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement (A-UK FTA) which entered into force on 31 May 2023. The FTA removes tariffs on over 99 per cent of Australian goods exported to the UK. 

The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, the first-ever FIFA tournament to be co-hosted across two Confederations – Australia, which is a member of the Asian Football Confederation and New Zealand, the Oceania Football Federation – will feature 64 matches of the biggest event in the international women’s game, with 32 teams from around the world – including defending champions – the United States and 2022 European champions, England, chasing their first title.

For further information on the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 visit www.fifa.com