We then focus on Oceania, starting with the Oceania Football Confederation’ new men’s Professional League and we consider if this platform could be used to launch a similar women’s professional league in the region. We then discuss Auckland FC’s third consecutive league Grand Final in New Zealand and finally look at a recent academic book entitled Women’s Football in Oceania.
2035 WWC Bid Book for the United Kingdom
Following on from our analysis last week of the 2031 WWC Bid Book for the U.S., Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica (see: The Week in Women's Football: Reviewing 2031 World Cup Bid Book; Analysis of Denver Summit - TribalFootball.com), we look at some key findings and the presented stadiums for the 2035 Women’s World Cup, to be held in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
The Bid Book early sets the stage for the wide diversity of fans that this tournament will hope to draw from, both at the stadium and through media viewing (Page 11): “The inclusivity and diversity of the UK are among its strengths: people from every country are already represented in our population. They are eager to celebrate the teams and fans from across the world, who will find similarities with their own cultures embedded in thriving communities within our four Member Associations. The inclusive and welcoming nature of women’s football is one of its most distinctive features.
Every week across the UK, women and men of all ages, families and people of all heritages participate in the game, whether as players, officials, volunteers or spectators. They do so because they love their teams and because they love football. This is the spirit we will share with the world at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2035™. Our goal is global connection—reaching far beyond the stadia in which the games will take place, to unite fans and communities across the world. The UK has a robust and developed broadcast infrastructure and we will deliver high-quality coverage across all platforms with extensive reach.
This reach will be enhanced by our status as a digital media powerhouse, driving the maximum possible amplification and engagement through current and emerging platforms and technologies. The result will be to ignite emotions and elevate women’s football everywhere. We want to support FIFA in using technology to inspire future generations; to create opportunities for women and girls where football is not already played and to improve access and infrastructure where it is. Our commitment to growing the game will not end when the final whistle blows. We want the long-term benefits of hosting to be tangible and measurable and to have a positive impact on communities both in the UK and across the world.”
The Bid Book discusses that all four member associations will focus on creating more opportunities for women and girls to play the sport (Page 17): “Recreationally: We will work with community clubs and local networks to expand and tailor opportunities for women and girls to play small-sided, non-competitive and walking football. At school: We will continue to work with the UK Government and Devolved Administrations to develop and expand a sustainable school sport infrastructure that embeds football into school life for girls.” The FAs will also focus on appropriate facilities and infrastructure: “Including an increase in the number of pitches, creating inclusive and female friendly environments and prioritising equitable access to facilities. Within local communities:
"We will work with community football clubs to ensure they are able to increase the number of girls’ and adult women’s teams, particularly among those clubs operating at the game’s grassroots.” The FAs will also focus on reaching diverse groups throughout the U.K.: “With a focus on under-represented groups, historically under-represented communities and those in inner cities.”
The Bid Book then had more on what the past few Women’s EUROs, which England is the two-time reigning champions, has done for the women’s game (Page 24): “The impact of the Lionesses has been tracked by Football Beyond Borders, a social inclusion charity which aims to use football and education to change the lives of young people. Their research shows that, inspired by the Lionesses, more young girls are watching women’s football than ever before and approximately one-third of the sample of 500 girls aged 13 to 18 are now attached to a football club—an increase of 18 percent compared to their 2023 data. This impact is replicated across all our Member Associations. In qualifying for UEFA Women’s EURO 2022, Northern Ireland’s women’s national team reached a major tournament for the first time.
This achievement helped to raise the profile and visibility of women’s and girls’ football and was a key factor in increasing participation from 1,600 registered players in 2018 to 11,441 in 2024. The Scottish Football Association (SFA) has aligned its Soccer Centres for girls aged five to 12 with players from the women’s national team, creating a direct connection between grassroots participation and elite role models. Each of the six SFA regions is represented by a different national team player, with a focus on ensuring local relevance by highlighting athletes originating from that area. WE WANT TO HARNESS THE GROWTH IN APPEAL ACROSS ALL OUR MEMBER ASSOCIATIONS AND CONNECT WITH NEW, YOUNGER AUDIENCES. Wales’s debut appearance at UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 has amplified the progress made since the Football Association of Wales launched a strategy to improve female participation in 2021. Playing numbers have increased by 45 percent to 2025; the average attendance at national team matches has risen by almost 200 percent; and investment in women’s and girls’ football in Wales has grown by more than 250 percent over the same period.
An aim of this bid is to harness the growth in appeal across all our Member Associations to promote the tournament and connect with new, younger audiences. All four associations have growing fan bases and influential players who command significant followings domestically and internationally. The associations will coordinate the use of these players as ambassadors, ensuring that every campaign is anchored in authentic sporting role models. Ambassadorial activity will extend beyond elite players. Coaches, officials and grassroots volunteers will also be profiled as champions of the game. This approach will provide a more diverse and representative image of football, broadening appeal and ensuring that young people can see role models who reflect their own communities and interests.” Again, the FAs will leverage promotions through schools and grassroots clubs: “The plan is to amplify existing women’s and girls’ engagement programmes to promote the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2035™. These could include promotional opportunities for tournament ticketing, volunteering and improving long-term women’s football fandom.”
Speaking after the submission of the bid to host the 2035 World Cup, the FA’s director of women’s football, Sue Day, said: “There will never be a women’s football strategy here that doesn’t have participation at its absolute heart. What is all of this for if not to inspire little girls to start running around with the football? So, we’re working really closely with the grassroots team here, and in the other three countries as well, and making sure we understand what it is that the girls want, how we best provide what they want, how we listen to them and how we fill the holes.”
Mark Bullingham, the FA’s chief executive, added: “If you look at the big picture, what we always say is, until we’ve got the same number of girls playing football as boys, we’ve got a job to do. Clearly there’s a long way to go for that. We’re proud of the fact that we have 90% of schools (offering girls equal access to football in PE lessons at key stage 2 and key stage 3) but we’re still not there in key stage 4, and there’s still some parts of the country where we need to be better.”
This focus on grassroot development, including school programs, is outstanding and should yield to continued growth for the game in the U.K. leading up to and after the tournament.
On November 28, 2025, the formal bid submission there are a total of 22 stadiums for 14 cities—with three being planned, one each in Birmingham (Sports Quarter Stadium), London (Chelsea FC Stadium) and Wrexham (Racecourse Ground)—with capacity listed in parentheses below (Pages 86-125). The final decision on which venues to use will be decided at a later time. The bid submission also highlights that 63 million people live within two hours of any proposed venue.
The Bid Book also listed 132 Total Training Facilities, including 82 Venue-Specific Training Facilities (Pages 130-152), including some classic clubs’ grounds mentioned for some of the cities. For Sunderland, I was pleased to see Hartlepool as a site. Hartlepool was home to goalkeeper Barry Watling in the 1970’s while he played for Seattle Sounders for their first two seasons of the NASL in the summers of 1974 and 1975; he was a wonderful ambassador for the game and a stellar goalkeeper with the Sounders.
Forty-eight Team Base Camp Training Facilities were presented (Pages 152-169), including four university sites—Bath University, Durham University, Loughborogh University and St. Andrews University (Glasgow)—and other well-known clubs’ sites such as Burnley, Cheltenham, Grimsby Town, Leicester City and Lincoln City.
Two Referee Base Camp Training Facilities (Page 170) were presented, at Queens Park Rangers and Watford in London. Two International Broadcast Centers (Pages 172-175) were presented for the National Exhibition Center (NEC) in Birmingham and the Arena and Convention Center (ACC) in Liverpool.
In Chapter 16—Revenues and Contributions (Pages 274-281), their analysis projected that they will sell 4.5 million tickets for the tournament and “a projected linear TV audience over 3.5 billion, which would be the highest watched WWC to date. Current record linear TV audience was 993.5 million for the 2019 WWC.” Their proposed ticketing strategy: “balances accessibility with commercial performance: ticket prices could start from 47 USD (£35) for adults and 20 USD (£15) for children, ensuring that families and new fans can attend affordably while maintaining premium-price tiering for high-demand matches. Our analysis shows that ticketing will achieve in excess of US$ 393million (£298 million) in revenue, reflecting both the scale of the market and pricing inclusivity. Community ticketing initiatives will ensure allocations for schools, grassroots clubs and under-represented community groups in every host city, reinforcing social purpose and full stadia objectives.”
Other revenues
Media Rights
“Anchored by the Premier League’s US$13.5 billion (£10 billion) global rights cycle, the UK has the second most valuable domestic media rights market in the world. This market has grown significantly in recent years, particularly as a result of the increasing value of women’s sport. A clear example is the Women’s Super League, whose domestic media deal grew from US$9.24 million (£7 million) per year in 2021 to US$17.16 million (£13 million) per year in 2025, underlining the rapid expansion in rights fees.
This strong trajectory shows how domestic growth will directly benefit FIFA, as it signals broadcasters’ and sponsors’ willingness to invest at scale in women’s football content. Combined with a growing global women’s football media rights ecosystem, these dynamics set the platform for both maximising broadcasting revenues and extending FIFA’s reach into new markets through jointly created content and digital engagement campaigns that will grow the global audience for women’s football.”
Sponsorship and Marketing Rights
“Growth factors underpinning this outlook include a consistent seven to 10 percent annual growth in sports sponsorship rights and the surging appeal of women’s sport. This was shown by Barclays committing more than US$40 million (£30 million) to women’s and girls’ football for the period 2022 to 2025, doubling its previous investment as of 2021. The UK’s domestic market is already seeing this uplift, with rising fan demand ensuring brands place higher value on association with women’s football.
For partners, the tournament offers both visibility and an association with themes of diversity, inclusion and social impact, which are strongly aligned with UK consumer values. Together, these factors will ensure that FIFA can secure commercial partnerships of the highest calibre, with the potential to deliver both record-breaking revenues and long-term global commercial growth for the women’s game.” No projected revenue value was shown for this element.
Government and Public Authorities
No projected revenue value was shown for this element.
Member Associations
No projected revenue value was shown for this element.
We would like to see more detailed financial and budget assessments for these bids but from a focus on growing the game, the 2035 Women’s World Cup U.K. Bid Book details very important plans and a dedication to leveraging that event not only in the four host countries but throughout the world. The Women’s World Cup will be well handled in the tradition Home of Football.
Oceania Football Confederation New Men’s Professional League—Could this be a model for the women’s game in the region in the near future?
FIFA has always been reticent to allow professional teams to play in other national association’s leagues but it has happened in the past. Currently in Africa, the two top men’s teams in Sudan—Al Hilal and Al Merrikh—are playing in Rwanda’s league due to the civil war in their country, after participating last year in the Mauritanian Premier League. Derry City of Northern Ireland has played since 1985 in the League of Ireland in the Republic for political reasons.
On the women’s side, for three seasons from 2012-13 through 2014-15, Belgium and Netherlands ran the BeNe League for the top sides from each nation. In Oceania, Wellington Phoenix and Auckland FC play in the Isuzu A-League (men’s) in Australia—in the Asian Confederation—with the Nix doing so in the Ninja A-League since 2021-22 and Auckland FC Women are set to join in a few years.
However, we now see FIFA sanctioning and even helping to launch a professional league across multiple nations in Oceania, with one club based in Australia (AFC). The OFC Professional League will start on January 17, 2026 at Auckland’s Eden Park and has hopes to eventually expand throughout the region, even as far as the United States (Hawaii—with its vast diaspora from Oceania nations). Other than New Zealand with its two professional clubs in the A-League, none of the other five nations involved have ever had professional clubs. The eight founding clubs are as follows:
Auckland FC (Auckland, New Zealand)
Bula FC (Fiji)
PNG Hekari (Papua New Guinea)
Solomon Kings (Solomon Islands)
South Island United (Christchurch, New Zealand)
South Melbourne (Australia)
Tahiti United (French Polynesia)
Vanuatu United (Vanuatu)
New Zealand has two representatives, with Auckland FC representing the country’s North Island, and South Island United (rebadged from current side Christchurch United) representing the South. South Island United’s CEO Ryan Edwards said that the new name should: “maximise the brand potential and unite the entire South Island behind the club.” Auckland FC won the Isuzu A-League premiership title in their first season in the league in 2024-25 before falling in the playoffs.
The club plans to have teams in both leagues, even though they overlap, with their football director Terry McFlynn running the OFC team as Steve Corica continues with the A-League side. The OFC Pro League team is limited to fielding a maximum of three players over the age of 23 who are contracted to their A-League side. They will, however, be allowed to field further players over the age of 23 if they aren’t registered for the A-League.
Both Auckland and the OFC insist that the club won’t simply be fielding a reserve side in the OFC Pro League, and will look to recruit extra players, especially from the Pacific region, for the new league. The new league allows the club to aim for a Club World Cup spot—which is not possible right as in the A-League they are an Oceania team in an -tied league and cannot represent the AFC in FIFA global events. Tahiti United is a spin-ff of AS Venus in Mahina, Tahiti.
An explanation as to why the OFC Pro League has an Australia side in South Melbourne relies on history. South Melbourne Hellas, as they were known at the time, was named as the Oceania Club of the Century in 2010, playing for years in the former Australian NSL until it folded in 2004. Ange Postecoglu, who in recent years has coached Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur and Celtic in Glasgow, played for the club for a decade and later guided Australia to two World Cups as head coach. South also is a foundation member of the new Australian second-tier, the Australian Championship, which started for the 2024-25 season and leveraged off of the top semi-professional state league teams.
Solomon Islands technical director Moses Toata told ESPN: “To be accepted into this professional league is already huge for us. It means a lot of opportunities for coaches, for players, and for football in the country. It will change a lot of things; the way we look at football, the way we approach football. The changes that the professional league will bring to player development, there’s aspiration, even for the young ones. They will look up to the pros in the league, and say: ‘That’s where I want to be.’”
The Oceania Football Confederation will cover travel accommodation and logistics costs for all eight teams. Sponsorship revenue will be redistributed to help the clubs boost their long-term financial stability. In addition to the FIFA and OFC support, the Saudi Tourism Authority is making a $20 million investment in the OFC Pro League. The individual teams will cover the costs for their players and staff but the OFC will subsidize the initial four years through a US$40 million investment, which ultimately came from FIFA.
The OFC Pro League will not feature team salary caps. They can field an unlimited number of players from within their own country as well as three other players from within the OFC, plus three imports from anywhere else in the world. Papua New Guinea Hekari—rebranded from local side Hekari United—signed three Brazilians as their imports. Some of the Pacific island clubs are expected to base their sides off of their national team, particularly since Stéphane Auvray is the head coach of both Bula FC and Fiji, Samuel Garcia is set to lead both Tahiti United and Tahiti’s MNT, and German head coach Lars Hopp was hired in October to lead both Vanuatu United and Vanuatu’s national team.
The new competition will run from January through to the end of May, with each side playing a minimum of 17 games. Teams will initially face each other twice across a series of circuit rounds planned to be staged across Auckland (New Zealand), Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea), Melbourne (Australia), Honiara (Solomon Islands), Lautoka (Fiji), and Suva (Fiji). Following the circuit series' conclusion, the four sides with the most points will be split off into a “leaders” group, and the bottom four will be placed into a “challengers” group. Following another round-robin, the three highest-ranked sides from the leaders’ group will advance to the semifinals, while its bottom-placed side will face the highest-ranked side from the challengers’ group in a playoff to determine the final semifinal spot. The single-leg semifinals and final will then be played in a central location, with Eden Park set to host these fixtures in 2026.
There are implications as well for OFC berths in FIFA international club tournaments as the OFC Pro League title winners will be the official champions of the Pacific region and advance to the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, while the winners every four years will qualify for the next FIFA Club World Cup, supplanting the previous entrants from the OFC Champions League, the future of which is still unclear.
The league does not currently have any broadcasting contracts which generate revenue, but games will be available free around the world on the FIFA+ platform. The games will utilize a five-camera setup, with local commentators at the various locations, to help develop media staff in local markets.
Long terms, the OFC Pro League wants to hold a full home-and-away schedule. Future expansion could involve teams from OFC members who are not represented in 2026: full members American Samoa, Cook Islands, New Caledonia, Samoa and Tonga are full OFC members and associate members Kiribati and Tuvalu.
OFC general secretary Franck Castillo said: “We know that this will be a major project, not only for the region, but for the world. Because I can tell you, the world will talk about this league. We are the only confederation without professional football, and we will now demonstrate that we can do it. At the moment, it’s a circuit series. If we increase more than 10 teams, then we have like a conference League, and we can have more and more teams.” He said that a team from Hawaii was a long-term target: “With Honolulu a nine-hour flight from Auckland… It's about market as well, to open to the U.S. market and the Americas market.”
The launch of the OFC Pro League is a landmark event which has been in the planning stage for eight years and, if successful, this model could be applied to other regions with a number of smaller nations that have limited if any professional clubs—such as the island nations of CONCACAF. Most relevant to this column, we wonder if the OFC Pro League could be the platform to accommodate women’s professional football teams in a similar manner in Oceania. One idea would be to start with a semi-professional approach for the women, with a few regional tournaments every year, tagging onto the men’s infrastructure. I think that is the wrong approach and keeps the women’s teams in a minor role; I say go big or stay home.
If a women’s OFC Women’s Pro League starts, it needs to be at the same level as the men in terms of professional status, running a similar number of games and salary/contract terms. Otherwise, the women’s league will be treated as less important. As a fully professional league, they will be able to draw on FIFA funding as well as raise investor funds internationally, particularly since women’s football and women’s sports in general are going through a purple patch with investor interest around the world.
With the Saudi Arabia Tourism Authority investment, dovetailing with the country’s massive investment in their domestic men’s and women’s leagues and, as host nation for the men’s World Cup in 2034, there may be interest from Saudi Arabian investment in a companion women’s league in the Oceania region. This column will continue to gauge the interest in the possibility of an OFC Women’s Pro League in the years to come. It would definitely be a most costly effort but more impactful than a sole islands team joining the A-League, which former Australian, New Zealand and U.S. WNT head coach told me six years ago at the 2019 WWC was an interesting concept, but felt that A-League officials were probably more interested in adding clubs in AU and NZ, which they have done since in both countries. As the men’s and women’s World Cup have expanded to 48 teams (in 2026/for 2031, respectively), boosting Oceania’s football infrastructure and professional football will drive improved national teams, who will increase their competitiveness in global tournaments.
Note: TribalFootball.com has reached out to the OFC as well as other national football associations in the region to discuss future plans for adding professional women’s teams/leagues but, likely due to the holidays, has not received responses by press time. This column will keep the reader apprised of what we learn.
Auckland United wins it’s third consecutive league title in New Zealand
Auckland United captured their third consecutive Dettol National League Championship Grand Final title, defeating city rivals Eastern Suburbs 1–0 at Keith Hay Park in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland, on November 29, 2025 In the 36th minute, AUFC captain Talisha Green (24) sent a long ball from deep to Zoe Benson in the box; Benson’s shot was saved by Eastern Suburb’s goalkeeper Corina Brown (21)—who played one season with Wellington Phoenix in the A-League—but Benson got to the rebound first to score the ultimate game winner.
With 10 minutes to play, defender Yukino Nishizono (30) of Japan and in her second season with Eastern Suburbs, had a potential game-tying shot from 30 metres out which went just over the crossbar. Benson (19), a New Zealand U-20 international previously played at Eastern Suburbs, where she led the league in assists the last two seasons. Auckland United is also the two-time reigning champions of the OFC Women’s Champions League and the dominant women’s side in the nation.
Women’s Football in Oceania
Author: Lee McGowan, Kasey Symons, Yoko Kanemasu
Publisher: Routledge
Women’s Football in Oceania is an academic text summarizing research concerning women’s football in the region. As is typical for these types of low volume texts, it is quite expensive—US$152 for the hard copy and US$44 for the soft copy from the publisher.
The purpose of the book was to review past research on women’s football and set the stage for future research efforts in the region (see more below). As with many Academic studies, the bibliography is a core feature and is approximately 56 pages—almost one quarter of the book—and has a huge list of interesting materials that a reader could follow-up with for more details, including this author’s book on the global women’s game—Beyond Bend it like Beckham. Their bibliography is a goldmine for past books and articles on soccer in Australia, New Zealand and throughout Oceania.
For each nation, the authors start with a paragraph on the political landscape as so many of these lands were colonized in the past by Chile, England, France, New Zealand and the U.S. There is value in reviewing the information (even if only a page or two at times) for such states as New Caledonia, Marshall Islands and Rapa Nui, which receive very little coverage of their women’s efforts.
(This column interviewed Chilean international Isabelle Kadzban, who qualified to play for their national team because of her Rapa Nui heritage, in our review of the 2025 Copa Libertadores Femenina last November: The Week in Women's Football: Isabelle Kadzban exclusive on Chilean development; Copa Libertadores review - TribalFootball.com). New Caledonia—a collective of Overseas France—is competitive on the men’s side in the region at the club and national team—but the authors found: “A lack of formalized competitions for young women and girls. Those who are able, tend to participate in mixed games, necessitated by the lack of players and resources, which in turn limit the establishment of a competitive set-up… Sponsorship, partnerships, and/or patronage are dominated by the men’s game, and the costs of travel and transport are prohibitive (Page 113).”
There were some interesting insights, including for Melanesia—particularly for Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, where women face cultural barriers as the sport is viewed by many as only for men, which: “limits access, of participants, fans and those who support the game’s organization and administration, to footballing resources and the roles that are integral to its ongoing development. Parents, relatives, husbands, and boyfriends are afforded substantive roles in the determination of a woman’s capacity to commit to the sport.
Some parents object to their daughters’ participation because they have concerns related to the sport’s potential to hamper educational outcomes and perceptions of poor career options and viable employment prospects. Others’ views of women’s participation are shaped by neo-traditional perspectives informed by expectations around what women wear, which are often juxtaposed with religious positions. Religion is a central force in many communities and a major determining factor in shaping the roles and responsibilities of women and men.
Competition and recreational play is often discouraged on Sundays. Land and fields, where a group might play football, often belong to communities that would vehemently discourage women’s participation (Page 97).” They go on to emphasize that hosting local tournament and national leagues for women—such as the Women’s National Soccer League in Papua New Guinea, which started in 2020-21—change the discourse and help to normalize women’s participation in the sport (Page 98).
In Polynesia, Tuvalu—which won its independence from the U.K. in 1978 and is badly threatened with rising sea levels—is an associate member of the OFC (2006) but has been denied FIFA membership. The OFC helps with resources but not as many as if they were a full member and: “The challenges to women’s football in Tuvalu echo those of other small island nations in the Pacific, access to facilities is very challenging, travel is lengthy and there are no hotels on the central islands or training facilities, which would rule out the possibility of a home friendly at international level. Without the support of OFC or the incentive of playing internationally, it’s difficult to see how the game can grow beyond the limited fixtures of the current competition (of a local women’s football league) (Pages 202-203).”
Also in Polynesia, the authors were unable to find any women’s football activity in French-governed Wallis and Futuna, which is a hotbed for the rugby union football code (Pages 203-204). On the other end of the spectrum: “In Tahiti, the women’s game is supported by a team of staff and a substantive share of organizational resources; they are not quite there yet, but they are the nation closest to consideration for commercialization. (Page 205).”
In the book’s concluding chapter, the authors emphasize the importance of growing the visibility of the women’s game: “Infrequency in match schedules disrupts momentum, the necessary continuity and rhythm required in football (or any other team sport). Opportunities to build a working understanding, those relationships vital to success, take time. Where a national team is not able to exploit the advantages of shared time, they invariably arrive at a tournament lacking experience and expertise and are unwittingly underprepared. (This is an issue that we see in other Confederations as well—it is not just an issue for Oceania.) The short-term impact is a lack of success. The long-term impacts are a lack of visible career options or a lack of vision for the future for those who might otherwise make a more substantial contribution.
"The tendency toward just-in-time planning creates myriad disadvantages through inconsistent (or no) expert support staff, such as physiotherapists and physical trainers. These factors are generally taken for granted in men’s football. As well as fewer games, there are often fewer facilities and worse changing rooms for women—there should be multiple sets of changing rooms, women should not need to use men’s changing rooms. Pitches, place to play, are important, but creating safe environments for women and girls to play is even more important, particularly where football tends to be a male domain. Whether you are in Kiribati feeling the effects of the climate crises and overcrowding or in Solomon Islands where the football pitches are so busy, as a woman footballer, finding a place to play is more difficult. (page 230).”
For future investigations of women’s football in Oceania, the authors state: “The game’s histories offer patterns, divergencies, similarities and tensions that warrant further investigation. Our focus has been on uncovering the hidden histories of women’s football. Its recovery has been identified as a priority by members of the community. There is urgent requirement where we risk further loss of historical knowledge as its older members succumb to the rigours of age, and the work deepens the context for new knowledge generation in relation to the broader context of women’s football. Further research is also required to better understand the social, political, geographical, and cultural (as well as economic and ethnicity in a diverse region) dynamics and issues that have affected the game in the region.
"Our collective knowledge is based on tentative early investigations in previous work. It may inform and influence consideration of the barriers to participation and facilitate learning opportunities, but it will be limited without continued efforts… Where this book is situated as a means to capture what is known, it is a conversation starter, it provides a platform on which we can grow our understanding of women’s football in Oceania. This chapter only serves as a conclusion of sorts. It is the final chapter in this part of the research, but the beginning of ongoing work.”
I worry that this academic work—at a premium price—will not receive the publicity and distribution that it deserves. It was extremely well researched and quite edifying on an interesting region of the women’s football global family.
Tim Grainey is a contributor to Tribal Football. His latest book Beyond Bend it Like Beckham on the global game of women’s football. Get your copy today. Follow Tim on X: @TimGrainey