“We have an incredible opportunity to leverage the visibility and interest of the women’s game to shine the spotlight on accessibility, environment, human rights, and safeguarding, and a responsibility to ensure our tournament minimises the negative and maximises the positive impact it has on people, society, the economy and the environment.” In the build-up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™ the words of Federico Addiechi, FIFA Head of Sustainability & Environment, laid out FIFA’s plans in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

Prior to every global sporting ‘super-event’, references to sustainability and legacy are regularly bandied around. When subjected to scrutiny however, some deliver more on their pledges than others. For the ongoing tournament which has already seen 30 of 64 matches played on both sides of the Tasman Sea, the sustainability focus is on four key areas, namely accessibility, environment, human rights, and safeguarding. In a display of unity and environmental commitment, the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 tournament workforce have participated in a series of tree planting events across all Host Cities, joining hands with community groups, local councils, and charities to contribute to a greener future for Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

In Australia, staff came together to celebrate National Tree Day on 30 July. The team embarked on a tree planting spree by planting natives in local bushlands and green spaces, and lending support to contribute to community gardens by planting fruit trees and veggies as sustainable food sources. The tree planting kicked off in South Auckland where hundreds of passionate football fans gathered to celebrate the FIFA Women’s World Cup by planting native trees to take a step toward restoring and preserving the region’s natural ecosystems. FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Head of Sustainability Dr Sheila Nguyen expressed pride in the tournament’s commitment. “Beyond the football pitch, we believe in leaving the tournament communities better than we found them. By participating in these events, we aim to nurture the environment and foster a sense of togetherness among communities helping us host the biggest women’s sporting event in the world” she said.

Asia-Pacific will host a multitude of major sporting tournaments over the next decade, leading all the way to the 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane – an event that features both men’s and women’s football. “We are well aware that we are one of the first of many international events locally, and we really want to make sure that what we do is improving, advancing, and planting seeds of ideas and actions,” continued Sheila Nguyen. “We evaluate every idea and, if it is a first and an improvement, we want to do it. Even if it is small, it opens a door, which paves the way for others to follow suit. We can then share those learnings to other events coming down the line.”

In a further commitment, visitors to stadiums in both Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand can visit a series of rewilded green installations. The welcoming and educational football themed green spaces also provide fans with an opportunity to spend time with nature and learn about the significance of biodiversity and health.   First Nations and Māori cultural experts guided the concepts for the installations to focus on experiences of: Acknowledge, Yarn, Mother and Offering. Acknowledge is the recognition and approach to the installation. Yarn is the gathering place of the installation representing topography and elements of place where fans are invited to arrive, sit, wait, learn, and share knowledge with the community. Mother is natures embrace where fans can become one with nature where they can see, smell, and touch the native plants and listen to the local environment sound scapes over the speakers. The Offering is the ask for fans to ‘Play on Natures Team’ and support the restoration and preservation of their local environment. The immersive installations at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium/ Naarm and Wellington Regional Stadium / Te Whanganui-a-Tara are inspired by the size of a football goal. Built from recycled and reclaimed materials, including used football nets from local clubs, they are populated by native plants.

The remaining eight stadiums across the two host countries house smaller green installations featuring native plants and have a QR code which links to digital assets to provide information and inspiration about the Nature Positive movement. In a further, colourful commitment, Hamilton City Council and their green-fingered Parks Landscapes team have created a spectacular ode to the tournament. Three proposals for the landscaping of Norton Roundabout were submitted, including the plant spacing recommended and plants per colour component that could be converted into a display. 22,740 plants (379 trays) of annual bedding plants were grown, including Snapdragons, Alyssum, Lobelias and even spinach. Despite some wet weather during the growing process, and winter not being the optimum time of year for colour choices, the result for those visiting the city, is certainly unique.