29 Jun 2023
Sydney hosts FIFA Fan Festival™ to celebrate FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™
Sydney, 29 June 2023: As the world counts down to the first ever FIFA Women’s World Cup match on Australian soil on 20th July, for those who can’t get enough of the action, FIFA and Destination NSW are hosting the FIFA Fan Festival™ in Sydney’s CBD.
Football fans, families and fun-seekers will be united with a buzzing festival atmosphere and can watch EVERY match of the tournament with live music performances from acts like Jack River, enjoy delicious street food feasts, explore a football playground and the first FIFA Museum in Australia and purchase FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ Official Licensed Products from the official FIFA store – all at Tumbalong Park in Darling Harbour.
The FIFA Fan Festival™ will open from 4:00pm on 20th July and on all FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ match days. The public viewing area is free and will have capacity for 5,000 football fans. An Aussie barbeque prepared by leading Aboriginal native food chef Sharon Winsor will be on offer, as well an exclusive dish – The Sydney Tuna Cheeseburger – the brainchild of pioneering chef, Josh Niland. All while listening to a full schedule of exciting Australian performers, with different artists hitting the stage every day throughout the tournament, including Jessica Mauboy, Jack River, Mia Wray, Jacoténe and more.
FIFA Chief Women’s Football Officer, Sarai Bareman, said: “The FIFA Fan Festival in Sydney/Gadigal will be a place where avid fans and football newcomers from all over the globe unite to celebrate women’s football and the FIFA Women’s World Cup. We invite everyone to come and experience football, music, entertainment, local culture, food, and games in a diverse and welcoming environment at the atmospheric Tumbalong Park.”
NSW Minister for Jobs and Tourism, John Graham said: “Between Sydney WorldPride 2023 and the record-breaking Vivid Sydney 2023, Sydney has cemented its position as a truly global, inclusive and multicultural city.”
“We can’t wait to welcome international football fans and players to NSW and to share Sydney’s vibrancy and energy with the world.
“Sydney has so much to offer throughout the FIFA Women’s World Cup and I encourage football fans from everywhere to get out there and explore our unique natural landscapes, enjoy our legendary hospitality and celebrate with fellow supporters at the FIFA Fan Festival at Tumbalong Park.”
NSW Minister for Sport, Steve Kamper said: “Sydney is staking its claim as the home of football in Australia and Sydney’s FIFA Fan Festival™ will be an incredible spot to support your team or enjoy the atmosphere of the biggest women’s sporting event in the world.”
The FIFA Fan Festival™ will be action packed with fun football games and drills in the Playground area. From speedometer goals that record how fast you can kick the ball to accuracy tests, football golf and football snooker. The next generation of footballers can also test themselves on the Pitch, an enclosed footballing facility with multiple sized goals for cross bar challenges, penalty shootouts, freestyle and skill clinics.
Before the excitement of watching live matches and cheering on their team of choice, fans can also kit themselves out in merchandise from the festival’s FIFA Store, which will stock two levels of FIFA Women’s World Cup Official Licensed Products with fan gear of all participating countries. With Sydney being a truly global, multicultural and friendly city, this event is for everyone of any age, so all walks of life are welcome!
Sydney will offer a line-up of global events of the World Cup – hosting 11 matches throughout the 32-nation tournament, including Australia’s opening game between the Matildas and Republic of Ireland on 20 July and the tournament’s Final on 20 August. As the home to the most clubs, with the greatest supporter base, most passionate fans and best football venues, Sydney is the home of football in Australia and the FIFA Fan Festival represents Sydney’s commitment to delivering the ultimate footballing experience for fans and families. For more information about everything taking place at the FIFA Fan Festival in Sydney, visit https://www.sydney.com/events/fifa-womens-world-cup-2023/fifa-fan-festival – or visit fifa.com to get to know about FIFA Fan Festivals™ across Australia and New Zealand.
For more inspiration on where to Eat, Play and Stay in Sydney during FIFA Women’s World Cup please visit https://media.destinationnsw.com.au/.
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About FIFA Women’s World Cup:
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), based in Zurich - Switzerland, is the international governing body of association football, futsal and beach soccer, comprising of 211 member associations grouped into six recognised confederations.
The FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™ will see the world's best players compete for the greatest prize in women’s football from 20 July to 20 August in 2023. A tournament of firsts, the 2023 World Cup will be the first tournament to be co-hosted by two nations and first to feature 32 teams. It is also the first time it will be held in the Asia-Pacific region. The vision for the tournament is to unite the world through a unique experience and showcase the world’s best female players with a world-class event that will see women’s football go ‘Beyond Greatness’ and blaze a trail for women’s empowerment.
For more information on FIFA and its competitions, please visit the official website at www.FIFA.com.
About Destination NSW
Destination NSW is the champion and voice for the visitor economy within the NSW Government. Spearheading a whole-of-government approach to visitor economy growth, Destination NSW is responsible for leading the delivery of the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy 2030 in partnership with government and industry. Destination NSW influences and shapes the visitor economy through strategic research, policy and thought leadership, stakeholder engagement and consultation, commercial partnerships and investment in visitor experiences, business support, marketing and events. Destination NSW is also the major investor in Business Events Sydney (BESydney) for the purpose of securing more international and domestic conventions, incentive travel reward programs, corporate events and exhibitions.
Calls to action:
For further information visit www.sydney.com or www.visitsnsw.com. For social media, please tag @sydney and @visitnsw, and use the hashtags #feelnewsydney and #feelNSW.
For media requests, please contact:
Tom Fogarty, Ogilvy PR
0401 812 310