The 2023 women’s World Cup shows Australia’s love of football and our maturity as a nation

There was always exposure of football on mainstream television to support domestic interest in football with the FA Cup always televised as well as a weekly highlight show of English football from the 1960s to 1980s called the The Big Match which also cover the lower divisions.

Of course, SBS (including Les Murray) over the years did a lot to promote football, as did the globalisation of sport and broadcasting competition between free-to-air and cable television which exposed more and more sports and leagues to different audiences.

No longer did Australians watch just their local and English league, but were exposed to the national leagues of Italy, Germany, Spain, France and more recently the US.

But beyond the southern European and British migrants that kept the sport of football alive in Australia in the immediate post war decades, lets embrace the melting pot of younger Australians who have increasingly embraced the football game, whether it be playing as junior and senior footballers, attending A-league matches, and supporting the national team (men and women).

Football has long been a major sport in this country, and it may well get bigger.

Yes, there will be natural competition between the different football codes and other professional  sports, especially in these times of economic difficulty when consumers need to commit more resources just to meet housing and living costs.

But who knows. Despite Australia’s love of many sports, including the four football codes, it may well be that football benefits relatively more in coming years as more Australians become aware of the sport and consider greater side effects from the more dangerous sports notably caused by concussion.

For myself, I will continue to watch all football codes and many other sports, but I am proud that Australia has increasingly embraced football much more over the years as a sign of its own sporting maturity and recognition that the world’s most popular team sport is indeed a great game to watch and participate in.

Well done Australia.