Anthony Albanese’s cryptic appeal after Matilda’s request for more money to be allocated to women’s sports
Anthony Albanese’s cryptic appeal after Matilda’s request for more money to be allocated to women’s sports
Anthony Albanese has urged fans to “pay attention to this space” while urging the Prime Minister to walk the talk and pledge to donate money to women’s sport.
Mr Albanese declined to make any promises when asked, but did hint that an announcement was imminent following the Matildas’ incredible run at the World Championships.
“You will see announcements in due course,” he told Sky News on Friday.
“We have been thinking about sports infrastructure issues for a long time. Unfortunately, the previous government promoted clubs that didn’t even have women’s teams. “It was a debacle,” Mr Albanese said.
The Matildas and coach Tony Gustavsson have been vocal in urging the federal government to increase funding for women’s football
Anthony Albanese urged fans to keep an eye on this space. Image: Saeed Khan / AFP
After the team’s devastating 3-1 semi-final defeat by England, captain Sam Kerr said she hoped the team’s success would be a catalyst for change.
“I can only speak for the Matildas (but, you know, we need funding for our development, we need funding at our base.” “We need funding, you know, we need funding everywhere,” Kerr said after the game.
Mr Albanese and Sports Minister Anika Wells have both campaigned for the Matildas’ success as the team progressed through the tournament, attending multiple matches and leading the chorus of tributes to football stars online.
Mr Albanese even went so far as to urge a national holiday if the team had won the World Cup final.
Some fans weren’t particularly happy about Mr Albanese joining the Matildas platoon and took to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, to urge him to fund women’s football.
In a statement, a spokesman said the government was looking at “more ways” to ensure funding was “fit for purpose”.
“We are committed to providing girls inspired by the FIFA World Cup, Netball World Cup, Women’s Basketball and Rugby World Cups with safer facilities so they can play sports for a lifetime,” they said.
“We want more opportunities for more Matildas.” This tournament has been incredible and has shown that women’s sport is not a phase, it is here to stay.
Sam Kerr called for more funding after Wednesday night’s loss. Image: Franck Fife / AFP
“We have spent heavily on women’s football, providing more than $84 million in support of the Women’s World Cup and its legacy.”
“We’ve committed $44 million to hosting the tournament and an additional $40 million to grassroots programs like MiniRoos and the first-ever home of women’s soccer.”
The team has captured the hearts of the nation, breaking television records, selling out stadiums and filling fan live sites across the country.
Earlier in the week, the coalition used the Matildas’ momentum to pledge $250 million in grants for community sports infrastructure, such as locker rooms, should they return to power.
On Friday, opposition leader Peter Dutton called on the Albanian government to honor that commitment.
The prime minister refused when asked, questioning the coalition’s commitment to women’s sport.
“(He) didn’t do anything for 10 years.” “He sat in a cabinet that provided women’s sports programs to clubs that didn’t have women’s teams,” Albanese said.
Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles stressed that a significant amount of money had already been spent in the run-up to the World Cup.