The ACT government is adamant it made the right decision to turn its back on the Women's World Cup, declaring "we weren't going to get bang for our buck".
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
As Australia prepares to be gripped by Matildas fever, the reality of Canberra being a sideline supporter is sinking in after prioritising finances over experience.
The Matildas will start their campaign in front of more than 80,000 fans in Sydney next week, with FIFA bracing for the biggest women's edition of a World Cup since it was launched in 1991.
More than one million tickets have been sold at venues across Australia and New Zealand and supporters from around the world will pack the stands at the month-long tournament.
But on the eve of Australia's biggest women's sporting event in history, Sport Minister Yvette Berry said the government made the right call based on the $1 million per-game fee for non-Matildas games.
"We made a decision based on the information we had where we weren't going to get the bang for our buck," Berry said.
"We're big supporters of women's sport and we've got the exciting opportunity coming up for Canberrans to support their own women's rugby league team [next week].
MORE CANBERRA SPORT:
"We're really excited about that. But for the World Cup, what we were going to be getting out of the funding we would have provided ... it wasn't the Matildas or the marquee players, it wasn't going to deliver what Canberrans would have wanted for the funding we would have provided."
The stance sparked fierce criticism from the soccer community when the government revealed its decision six months before FIFA awarded hosting rights to Australia in 2020.
But the government questioned whether it would get any economic return from paying up to $6 million for games in the group stages if the Matildas didn't come to town.
It was a line in the sand moment for Canberra's marquee sporting content. By saying no to such a historic occasion because of what ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr described as "exorbitant" match fees was a warning shot to other sports seeking to cash in on government funding.
It can be revealed Canberra's involvement in the men's rugby union World Cup is also hanging in the balance as the government and Rugby Australia continue negotiations about the cost of games.
A key piece to all of this is Barr and Berry's desire to host the Australian men's and women's teams. Given there are only limited opportunities for that to occur at World Cup-style events, and having to compete against richer states and cities, the government says its preference is to spend money on one-off games.
The impact, however, is that Canberra supporters miss out on a bigger movement, tournament hype and global exposure for the city.
"We had to consider a whole range of things," Berry said.
"I know Canberrans love their sport so of course people are going to be disappointed. But the watch parties are a way we can contribute to the game in a way that works for us.
"We weren't going to get the Matildas here. Obviously it's a hard decision to make [to not be a part of the World Cup], but when you take into account everything around it, I think it was the best decision to make."
The government said the other contributing factor for withdrawing from the bid was the impact on the use of Canberra Stadium. FIFA requires "clean" venues and they can't be used by other sports in the lead up to World Cup games.
But the Canberra Raiders haven't played at home since July 1 and won't return until August 6.
Asked if the government would take a hard-line stance on every major sporting tournament from now on, Berry said: "I think you have to consider each case on its own merit.
"Every sport will offer something different and the timeframes of when they might occur will impact our community in different ways. Governments need to make those decisions based on what's best for Canberra.
"I understand people are disappointed, perhaps in the future we'll get to do that here in a more meaningful way.
"The cost this time was significant and there was no guarantee we were going to get any of the top games here in the ACT. I think we do have to make the case for each sport or event."
More than 50,000 watched the Matildas play their final warm up game against France in Melbourne on Friday night and more than 80,000 will be at the sell-out clash against Ireland to launch the tournament at Homebush next week.
Other games will be played at two different venues in Sydney, in Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth as well as in in Hamilton, Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin in New Zealand.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark canberratimes.com.au
- Download our app
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram