The global growth of women’s soccer, also known as football, has allowed for more grassroots development camps to pop up. With the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, Nike is extending its inclusivity programs to Victoria, Australia.
Working with Football Victoria, the sportswear company set up the Nike FC Accelerator Program. This elite camp will help female players enhance their footballing skills and help female coaches receive their C-license.
This year, Nike had more than 30 coaches graduate from the program. Today, 600 new female coaches are in Victoria, which can be attributed to these coaching programs. That’s already a 26% increase in accredited female coaches in the region.
The Accelerator Program is a four-year commitment that elevates coaches through Nike’s connections in the sports world.
It also helps players get better with more high-level coaching. Nike will cover entry fees for those without the financial means to enter the camp.
The deal gives the Nike Football Community of Victoria access to the same facilities the Australian Women’s National Team uses. These kinds of amenities are impactful when it comes to recovering from injury and avoiding setbacks. It gives coaches access to more video study and other data-harvesting technology.
Photo Courtesy Nike FC Accelerator Program
“We’re committed to making meaningful investments in women’s sport, deepening our support for young female athletes, and building a better game,” Ashley Reade, Nike Pacific general manager and vice president, said in a press release. “The Nike FC Accelerator Program is the latest way we are elevating the game and helping the next generation fall in love with football and sport.”
Nike is also partnered with other Australian grassroots sports organizations such as Fitzroy Lions Soccer Club, Helping Hoops, National Aboriginal Sporting Chance Academy (NASCA), and the Dylan Alcott Foundation. These nonprofits encourage inclusivity in youth sports.
In addition to the Accelerator Program, Nike also sponsors a women’s soccer tournament in Victoria.
The Nike FC Cup started in 2012 to foster greater grassroots soccer development. Calder United SC has won the most Nike FC Cups, winning each year since 2017. They won it again this past August.
Photo Courtesy Football Victoria
The 2023 Women’s World Cup set key milestones for women’s international football, with more than 1.58 million people attending the event and 2.2 million people watching the final in America — even more with 12 million watching the final on BBC One in the U.K. Spain pipped England to the trophy, 1–0. The USWNT, the four-time winner and former defending champions, struggled this campaign, bowing out in the Round of 16 to Sweden.
Before the World Cup, The Ball made stops in cities in Australia and New Zealand and various islands in the Oceania region. This year’s Ball message was a commitment to being environmentally conscious and reducing waste. The nonprofit Spirit of Football runs the campaign, hosting soccer-related events at each stop along the way.
FIFA released a women’s football participation report. It increased by over a quarter compared to 2019 — the last Women’s World Cup. Five percent of coaches are female, 9% of all referees are female, and 34% of women’s top-tier senior domestic competitions have a dedicated women’s soccer sponsor.
