‘Best Possible Experience’: FIFA Planning First Women’s World Cup Fan Festival
Wednesday, March 1, 2023 at 07:27PM By Barry Janoff
March 1, 2023: FIFA has unveiled plans for all nine Host Cities to stage a FIFA Fan Festival during the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023.
This is the first time FIFA Fan Festivals will be staged during a FIFA Women’s World Cup, where also for the first time 32 nations will compete.
A FIFA Fan Festival will be present in every Host City at various times during the tournament (July 20-Aug. 20).
All 64 matches will be televised live and exclusively in the U.S. in English on Fox and Fox Sports platforms and in Spanish on NBCUniversal Telemundo and Universo — airing 33 and 31 matches, respectively — and live-stream on Peacock.
“To provide the best possible experience for visitors, the events at each venue will be tailored based on the local climate, the match-day and kick-off times,” according to FIFA.
The FIFA Fan Fest previously appeared at four editions of the FIFA Men’s World Cup, starting with the FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 through last year at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
According to FIFA, all FIFA Fan Festivals will be “free for all ages and provide a vibrant destination for everyone to celebrate the global game and experience the best in football, music, entertainment, local culture, food, and games.”
People will be able to watch FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 matches on screens at each venue.
FIFA partners for the Women’s World Cup 2023 currently include adidas, Coca-Cola, Globant, Visa, Wanda Group and Xero.
“Whether you are an avid fan, or a football newcomer, the FIFA Fan Festival provides an exciting entertainment space that brings people together beyond football." FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura said via the organization.
“Our mission is to make football truly global, accessible and inclusive, and these exciting events provide the opportunity to experience football in new ways in a fun festival environment.”
According to FIFA’s recently released Setting the Pace: Benchmarking Report on Women’s Football, “Women’s football is continuing to grow and the sport is enjoying the greatest level of global interest in its history.
“FIFA is aiming to build on this momentum as it looks to deliver the biggest and most engaging FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2023."
“FIFA continues to take proactive steps to accelerate the growth and development of women’s football globally, and it is our commitment to continue producing this report as we strive to assist clubs and leagues in their mission to professionalize their operations,” Sarai Bareman, FIFA chief women’s football officer, said via the organization.
Venues for the FIFA Fan Festivals:
Australian Venues
• Adelaide/Tarntanya – Festival Plaza
• Brisbane/Meaanjin – South Bank Parklands
• Melbourne/Naarm – Federation Square
• Perth/Boorloo – Forrest Place
• Sydney/Gadigal – Tumbalong Park
Aotearoa New Zealand Venues
• Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau – The Cloud
• Hamilton/Kirikiriroa – Claudelands Event Centre
• Wellington/Te Whanganui-a-Tara – Shed 6
• Dunedin/Ōtepoti – Dunedin Town Hall & Glenroy Auditorium
FIFA Study: Women’s Soccer Shows Fan, Financial, Marketing, Media Growth
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