CBA has announced it will be the official bank supporter of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023.
The big bank is already partners with Football Australia and Cricket Australia and is the naming rights partner of the Australian women’s football team the Matildas. Now CBA’s support of the FIFA Women’s World Cup will make it one of the largest brand investors in women’s sport in Australia.
The ninth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup competition will be held in Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to Aug. 20, 2023, with 32 nations taking part.
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The partnership between CBA and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 will run until November 2023. As well as being the official bank supporter in Australia of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, the deal includes the CommBank FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Player Escort Program and activities across stadiums and official fan festival sites.
CBA group executive marketing and corporate affairs Monique Macleod (pictured above) said as the official bank supporter in Australia, CBA would release a range of initiatives including activations and grassroots engagements such as the CommBank FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Player Escort Program.
“This program would enable 1,500 children aged six to 10 to be a part of FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 where they will be accompanying players onto the pitch at the start of each match, in a money-can’t-buy experience,” Macleod said.
“With females currently representing just 26% of players in Australia, CBA’s commitment to women’s football is an extension of its support of Football Australia’s Legacy ’23 strategy. Legacy ’23 is an ambitious five-pillar plan to take advantage of Australia hosting the biggest sporting event on our shores since the 2000 Olympics, with a key objective to become the first community sport to reach gender parity in participation.”
The Matildas are pictured below with Macleod (centre left) with FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 chief operating officer Jane Fernandez and Football Australia Women’s World Cup Legacy and Inclusion head of women’s football Sarah Walsh.
Macleod said CBA was proud to also partner with Football Australia as it continued to make inroads with the CommBank Matildas match attendance, viewership and merchandise sales significantly increasing since the partnership was announced last year.
“This is an exciting time for women’s sport in Australia and around the world. With 64 games taking place in Australia and New Zealand, the FIFA Women’s World Cup is the biggest women’s sporting event in the world,” she said.
“Following almost 25 years of investing in women’s sport through our partnerships with Football Australia and Cricket Australia, this partnership reinforces our commitment to supporting Australian football from the grassroots to the elite level.”
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FIFA chief women’s football officer Sarai Bareman said through its investment in Australian football since 2021, CBA had demonstrated a genuine commitment to growing women’s football participation.
“They have done this by creating opportunities and championing leadership. These goals are closely aligned with the objectives of FIFA’s own women’s football strategy, so this partnership truly is an exceptional fit,” Bareman said. “We look forward to working closely with Commonwealth Bank over the coming months as together we aim to inspire kids and communities through the power of women’s football.”
CommBank Matildas captain and CBA ambassador Sam Kerr OAM said when she was growing up, women’s football did not have the visibility and support it has today.
“To have a partner like CommBank supporting the CommBank Matildas and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 shows how far we’ve come,” Kerr said. “I want to use the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 as a way to show all Australian girls that they can achieve great things through football.”
