Francesca Rudkin: The Black Ferns have given us so much more

Well, they did it. With an over 42,500 strong crowd behind them, the Black Ferns upset the tournament favourites to take home the 2022 Women’s Rugby World Cup. What an incredible story – to rebuild after a disastrous Northern tour at the end of last year and get to the World Cup final would on its own have been an inspiring story. But the Black Ferns have given us so much more. They united the country in support of women’s rugby. They reminded us playing sport should be done with passion and joy as much as with grit, skill and commitment. They reminded us of the importance of simply being yourself. The Black Ferns story goes well beyond just winning. And I hope those behind the Football Ferns and Fifa Women’s World Cup 2023 organisers have been watching and taking note. The Black Ferns have offered a master class in how to build support and profile, and turn a team – and I mean the whole team – into household names. Next year New Zealand Football has an even bigger stage on which to inspire and grow women’s football in New Zealand. To do that they need to get budding young football players – both girls and boys and their families - into stadiums next year. Having a team you know and support, like the Foot tball Ferns, plays a large in achieving this. To be honest, I hadn’t until recently realised how big a deal it is to be co-hosting the Fifa Women’s World Cup 2023 with Australia. The World Cup is massive. The last Women’s World Cup, held in France three years ago, had more than 1.12 billion broadcast views (compared to the Men’s 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan which had 480 million views), and and 82 million people watched the final. And next year the Women’s World Cup tournament is larger than ever before with 32 teams competing, up from 28. At present, women’s team sports are blossoming and growing here and around the globe. Maybe there’s a new appreciation for live sport after being deprived of it over the last couple of years, but the numbers attending women’s football are impressive. In April, a new world record for attendance at a women’s football match was achieved in Spain – 91,600 people. It’s not uncommon in Europe for over 30,000 fans to turn up to an international friendly. 68,000 went to watch the opening of the Euros at Old Trafford. France also managed to pull a crowd of 43,000 at a Champions League semi. This all bodes very well for next year. Massive broadcast crowds, New Zealand on show (and hopefully living the brand), Football tourism, a lasting legacy of better infrastructure for women’s football, and a big push for the game. I’m starting to get a picture of the opportunity in front of us. This is massive. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.