Football Australia is pleased to welcome Queensland Premier The Hon. Annastacia Palaszczuk MP as a Legacy ’23 Ambassador.
As a proud Queenslander, Ms Palaszczuk is excited to use her voice to advocate for the advancement of football in her state and support Legacy ’23 to inspire and develop more women and girls in leadership roles. The Premier is committed to creating an equal playing field for all, both on and off the field.
Of her new role, the Premier said: “I’m excited to be joining such a wonderful group of Ambassadors as part of Football Australia’s Legacy ’23 program. As a woman in politics, I’ve faced many challenges to get where I am today, and I hope that in this role I can inspire young women and girls to follow their ambitions to achieve greatness in whatever field they choose.
“The CommBank Matildas are an incredible example of how hard work and persistence can help shift the needle in sport to where women's sport is now embraced within our society. I hope the important milestone of having the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023TM in our own backyard will set an even greater standard, putting women front and centre,” concluded Palaszczuk.
Football Australia CEO James Johnson said of the new appointment: “We are proud to welcome Ms Palaszczuk to our incredible line-up of Legacy ’23 Ambassadors. It is so important to Football Australia to have the support of leaders like Premier Palaszczuk representing and advocating for our game as we countdown to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023TM.
“As exciting as it is to be co-hosting the world’s largest women’s sporting event, the honour has always represented more than the tournament itself. Football Australia’s Legacy ’23 Plan provides a platform for the sport to leverage this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build a meaningful legacy for football, the community and the nation, well after the event has been successfully delivered.
“The addition of Premier Palaszczuk gives our Legacy '23 efforts in Queensland great impetus, and we are delighted to have her join our team. The final 11 months in the lead up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023TM are crucial to our game as we strive towards leaving an impactful and everlasting legacy for the sport,” Johnson concluded.
Previously announced ambassadors making up the Final XI include:
- The Hon. Julie Bishop, Chancellor of Australian National University
- Julie Dolan AM, Matildas cap #1
- Azmeena Hussain OAM, Director Football Victoria and social justice advocate
- Narelda Jacobs, NIAG Member and Network 10 Presenter
- Kate Jenkins, Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner
- Awer Mabil, Socceroo
- Kurt Fearnley AO, Paralympic champion
- Phillipa Harrison, Managing Director of Tourism Australia
- Elizabeth Broderick AO, Special Rapporteur and Independent Expert to the United Nations
The Legacy ’23 Plan, developed by Football Australia, will ensure Australia can realise the long-term benefits of hosting this prestigious global sporting event can have on every community across the country. From economic, social, physical, and mental health benefits to its promotion of social cohesion and multicultural inclusion, Legacy ’23 will introduce new and expand existing programs to ensure the future of football in Australia is stronger than ever before.
The programs will aim to increase participation, improve community facilities, optimise high-performance offerings, drive leadership and development of the sport as well as encourage local and international tourism as Australia and New Zealand recover from the global pandemic.
As the world’s biggest women’s sporting event, it is expected that over a billion people across the world will tune in to watch the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Australia & New ZealandTM.
For more information on Legacy ’23 head to https://www.footballaustralia.com.au/legacy23 and stay tuned for the final ambassador announcement later this month.
