Correction: The original article implied the Central Station Clock Tower will be lit green & gold. It actually will be lit just gold.
From next Monday at 6pm. the Sydney Opera House as well as the Central Station Clock Tower & Concourse will be lit green & gold (the former just gold) in support of the Matildas in their Round Of 16 match against Denmark in the FIFA Women’s World Cup – Australia & New Zealand 2023.
This will not mean the FIFA Women’s World Cup – Australia & New Zealand 2023 will be redesignated as an ‘extraordinary’ Sydney Spectacular as the illuminations are focused on 1 team & not all the teams/the event itself.
The New South Wales (NSW) Government’s social media will also turn green & gold for that match day. The NSW Government is also encouraging its citizens to follow suit by wearing those colours that day as well.
Messages of support will also be displayed on screens at public transport stops as well as at over 100 Service NSW centres.
This is clearly a belated move by the NSW Government, especially after they did the same thing during the men’s tournament & with the encouragement of its citizens to wear the colours of Australia as well as dressing up its social media, public transport stops & their main customer-facing government agency reeks of desperation.
Whilst it is very understandable the NSW Government under new Premier Chris Minns is trying to save money by reducing projections & illuminations, the FIFA Women’s World Cup – Australia & New Zealand 2023 was one of the very few events that deserved to be treated like a mega event should be.
In a statement released on Wednesday (which can be read in full at the bottom of this post), the NSW Premier claimed “Sydney has come alive” & are “taking this to the next level”. This is despite the Rugby World Cup – Australia 2003 Final featured a 3-minute Sydney Harbour fireworks display including the Bridge (with Effect) & 2 barges after the match (There are no plans for such an event after the FIFA Women’s World Cup – Australia & New Zealand 2023 Final)
Rugby World Cup – Australia 2003 sponsors also boosted the community’s spirit by ‘taking over’ Sydney CBD pubs, bars, Rugby Union clubs, transport hubs & shopping centres (Unlike FIFA & their sponsors who are only focused on the amount of exclusive brand exposure). Garden beds were also decorated in the Sydney central business district & a rugby union-themed projection show on a Circular Quay building also featured during the Rugby World Cup – Australia 2003 (the latter during the tournament’s latter half). And let’s not forget the 2-week sporting party that was The Games Of The XXVIIth Olympiad – Sydney 2000!
So much for “alive” & “next level” this month-long FIFA Women’s World Cup…
Regardless, the NSW Government also revealed 4000 people attended the FIFA Fan Festival in Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour to watch the Matildas defeat Olympic champions, Canada, in determination after their 3-2 loss to Nigeria.
They also revealed 118,000 people have attended that Festival in Tumbalong Park up to last Wednesday the 2nd of August – about 9,000 people per day – while the overall main tournament is receiving 82,000 visitors per event day – the largest sporting event hosted in Sydney since The Games of the XXVIIth Olympiad: 2000 – nearly double the 45,000 visitors per event day expected. Based on the current tournament’s attendance, the Fan Festival is performing below expectations but based on the previous tournament’s attendance, it is doing better than expected.
The sporting side is a success, but the community engagement/activation is relatively poor for Sydney. At this rate, it looks like Sydney’s events are no longer about bringing the community together but about bringing the money together & mega events are not memorable for that alone.
The Matildas compete against Denmark in their Round Of 16 match of the FIFA Women’s World Cup – Australia & New Zealand 2023 on Monday the 7th of August at 8:30pm AEST at Stadium Australia, Sydney.
The Final will be held at the same venue on Sunday the 20th of August 2023 at 8pm AEST.
We are so proud of the Matildas making the final 16. We are celebrating this achievement by turning Sydney green & gold next Monday.
NSW is proud to be part of this World Cup & we are so proud of what the Matildas have achieved so far. Sydney has come alive & we are taking this to the next level. Let’s take the Matildas to the next round.
NSW Premier, Chris Minns
The Matildas kicked off their campaign in Sydney in front of a record crowd of 75,000 people, and we can’t wait to see another packed house at Stadium Australia.
I encourage everyone to don the green and gold, get to the game or a community fan site, to witness this once in a lifetime opportunity.
NSW Sports Minister, Steve Kamper
It’s been fantastic to see so much support for the Matildas from across the NSW community.
We are incredibly proud of their achievements & of the role our NSW representatives have played in getting the team this far.
We are excited to see the state turn green and gold on Monday & look forward to the ongoing implementation of the NSW Football Legacy Program to ensure we can cater for the next generation of female football stars.
Football NSW Chief Executive Officer, John Tsatsimas
Sydney Spectaculars 
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