FIFA Women’s World Cup – Australia & New Zealand 2023 – Page 2

No Sydney Harbour Bridge Light Show For FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023

Sydney Spectaculars has received confirmation from Transport For New South Wales (NSW), who control the Sydney Harbour Bridge, that there will be no light show, as part of the FIFA Women’s World Cup – Australia & New Zealand 2023, on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

This means the event definitely won’t be redesignated as an ‘Extraordinary’ Sydney Spectacular.

Sydney Spectaculars undesignated the FIFA Women’s World Cup – Australia & New Zealand 2023 back on 5th April 2023 after finding no evidence of an attempt to put on a Sydney Harbour Bridge fireworks, light, projection or drone show for the Final, nearly 3 years after winning the bid to host the Final & with less than 5 months until that event.

Last Tuesday & Wednesday night, in the early evening, colourful lights were spotted being tested on the north-eastern side of the Sydney Harbour Bridge underneath the catwalk.

Colourful lights being tested on the Sydney Harbour Bridge (circled) Photograph: Webcam Sydney

Lights for New Year’s Eve have been tested months in advance in a similar manner before.

We followed up Transport For NSW’s statement with a query about what were those lights being tested for but have not received a response as of publication.

Last Friday night, around Midnight, people with torches were spotted scaling the north-eastern side of the upper arch of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, going from the north-eastern pylon up to the summit. We did not spot them descend so they might have descended down the southern side.

Last night, around 8:30pm, people with torches were spotted traversing over the north-western side of the upper arch of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Work on the Sydney Harbour Bridge either as part of Bridge maintenance or roadwork has been scheduled from May to December this year. The people spotted are now highly likely to have been involved with Bridge maintenance.

There is no evidence of a Sydney Harbour Bridge fireworks display for the FIFA Women’s World Cup – Australia & New Zealand 2023 Final yet. Given it is less than 2 days to go until the event & with no evidence of a fireworks display anywhere on Sydney Harbour this Thursday, we can now rule out a major Sydney Harbour fireworks display as part of the Opening & ‘Inaugural’ Ceremonies to be held at Eden Park, Auckland & Stadium Australia, Sydney respectively as part of the lead up to the Opening & ‘Inaugural’ Matches (Football Ferns (New Zealand) Vs Norway & Matildas (Australia) Vs Republic Of Ireland) on Thursday at 4:30pm & 7:30pm Sydney time respectively with kick-off at 5pm & 8pm Sydney time respectively.

There is no evidence for a drone show so far.

Drone shows are also usually rehearsed off-site in a remote location in secret if it is for an important event, but they do require a 6-month approval process from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, which means an application would have needed to have been submitted by late February this year

The Final, also at Stadium Australia, is on Sunday the 20th of August 2023 with kick-off at 8pm Sydney time. The Final’s conclusion & trophy presentation is the only possible time for a major Sydney Harbour fireworks display and/or drone show, though it is unlikely, especially with a major light show now definitely ruled out.

Therefore, the FIFA Women’s World Cup – Australia & New Zealand 2023 will stay undesignated as an ‘Extraordinary’ Sydney Spectacular, as it has been since 12th of April, unless we find evidence that a major Sydney Harbour fireworks display or drone show will take place in relation to the event.

After today’s stunning major event news about the XXIIIrd Commonwealth Games: 2026 from the neighbour state of Victoria, like we said in our article about our undesignating of the FIFA Women’s World Cup – Australia & New Zealand 2023 from being an ‘Extraordinary’ Sydney Spectacular, this all affects Australia hosting major events in the future like the men’s FIFA World Cup.

For comparison on the scale of the events, the FIFA Women’s World Cup has attendance of 45,000 per event day while the Commonwealth Games has an attendance of 108,000 per event day. The Men’s FIFA World Cup is 162,000 per event day. Refer to our article about our undesignating of the FIFA Women’s World Cup – Australia & New Zealand 2023 from being an ‘Extraordinary’ Sydney Spectacular to read the logic behind why an event with an attendance of only 45,000 per event day deserves to be treated like an ‘Extraordinary’ Sydney Spectacular such as the Games Of The XXVIIth Olympiad (395,000 per event day) & the Rugby World Cup (66,000 per event day).

Major events are more than financial commercial products to make a profit from, they build social connections, improving health & contributing to the construction & maintenance of a society’s identity, character & culture. Victoria’s decision, completely financial, shows an underappreciation of the Commonwealth Of Nations, soft power and international relations as well as the promotion of sport, physical activity and their health benefits. Sydney or FIFA’s decision shows an underappreciation of Sydney Harbour, the Bridge, fireworks, lights, gender equality & the history and future of major events in Sydney.

Events in Australia are now facing a litmus test…

Secret Light Testing On The Sydney Harbour Bridge Spotted

Last Tuesday & Wednesday night, in the early evening, colourful lights were spotted being tested on the north-eastern side of the Sydney Harbour Bridge underneath the catwalk.

With less than a week until the FIFA Women’s World Cup – Australia & New Zealand 2023, it could be interpreted as testing for a month-long themed light show on the Sydney Harbour Bridge for the event, returning the event as an ‘Extraordinary’ Sydney Spectacular, the 1st since the International Fleet Review in October 2013.

Sydney Spectaculars yesterday sent queries to FIFA and their local event organising subsidiary & Transport For NSW, who control the Sydney Harbour Bridge. However, neither responded by time of writing.

We also contacted the lighting company who lights up the Sydney Harbour Bridge during Vivid Sydney, Mandylights, but they gave a curious ‘can’t confirm at this time’ response.

Last night, around Midnight, people with torches were spotted scaling the north-eastern side of the upper arch of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, going from the north-eastern pylon up to the summit. We did not spot them descend so they might have descended down the southern side.

Work on the Sydney Harbour Bridge either as part of Bridge maintenance or roadwork has been scheduled from May to December this year. The people spotted may have been involved with Bridge maintenance but if not, they were installing something in the dead of night – fireworks or lights – but at this stage, lights are more likely if they are not Bridge maintenance people.

Lights for New Year’s Eve have also been tested months in advance in a similar manner before too.

There is no evidence of a Sydney Harbour Bridge fireworks display for the FIFA Women’s World Cup – Australia & New Zealand 2023 yet. However, a light show has suddenly become a possibility. There is no evidence for a drone show so far.

Regardless of what those people were doing on the Bridge, something important was happening on the Bridge last night as people rarely climb the Bridge in the dead of the night unless it is nightworks, which in itself is rare, or to install fireworks or lights.

With less than a week to the event begins, the biggest sporting event Australia has hosted since the Rugby World Cup 2003, keep an eye on our blog in case any news breaks regarding Sydney Spectaculars.

A FIFA Fan Festival™ Live Site will open at Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour at 4pm Thursday & open on match-days at various hours until 11pm, Sunday the 20th of August 2023.

A 10-minute Opening Ceremony, which will feature a live performance of the official event song with dancing & fireworks, will then be held at Eden Park, Auckland at 4:30pm Sydney time/6:30pm Auckland time. Following that, at 5pm Sydney time/7pm Auckland time, the Opening Match, the Football Ferns (New Zealand) Vs Norway, kicks off the tournament from Eden Park. Sunset in Sydney happens 7 minutes later.

After the Opening Match concludes, at Stadium Australia, Sydney, there will be a 10-minute ‘Inaugural Ceremony’ at 7:30pm Sydney time followed by the Matildas (Australia) opening their campaign against the Republic of Ireland at 8pm Sydney time from Stadium Australia. The Final, also at Stadium Australia, is on Sunday the 20th of August 2023 with kick-off at 8pm Sydney time.

If there is a month-long themed light show on the Sydney Harbour Bridge for the FIFA Women’s World Cup – Australia & New Zealand 2023, a 7:30pm ‘lights on!’ moment as part of the ‘Inaugural Ceremony’ is the most likely time for it to start. If not, sunset that day (5:07pm).

However, as there is no solid evidence linking the lights to the event, the event won’t be redesignated as an ‘Extraordinary’ Sydney Spectacular just yet, but it is very possible now.

What will this week bring? Stay tuned!

Own Goal: FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 No Longer Considered An ‘Extraordinary’ Sydney Spectacular

As of 5th April 2023, Sydney Spectaculars is no longer considering the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – Australia & New Zealand an ‘extraordinary’ Sydney Spectacular.

As the biggest event to be hosted by Australia since the International Fleet Review in 2013, it had been expected that after the conclusion of the Final, a no more than 3-minutes long fireworks display over Sydney Harbour would occur including no more than 2 barges & the Sydney Harbour Bridge upper arch and catwalk. A Bridge Effect would have also been expected but as times have changed, this would have been in the form of a drone show.

The reasoning behind this expectation is as follows:

A 3-minute fireworks display, using 2 barges & the upper arch and catwalk of the Sydney Harbour Bridge as well as a Bridge Effect featured after the Rugby World Cup 2003 – Australia Final.
The modern equivalent of a Bridge Effect is a drone show.
In 2019, World Rugby decided that the words ‘Rugby World Cup’ would now refer to both the men’s and women’s editions.
The FIFA World Cup, an international men’s association football tournament, is an event ranked in importance, below The Games Of The Olympiad & above the Rugby World Cup.
The Games Of The Olympiad – Sydney 2000’s Closing Night Harbour Spectacular was the world’s largest fireworks display at the time.
As both the Rugby World Cup 2003 – Australia & The Games Of The Olympiad – Sydney 2000 had significant fireworks displays on Sydney Harbour at the conclusion of the event if hosted in Sydney. therefore, the FIFA World Cup would also have a significant fireworks display at a size in-between the size of the preceding 2 events’ fireworks displays.
The FIFA Women’s World Cup is the women’s equivalent of the FIFA World Cup.
Sydney is hosting the Final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – Australia & New Zealand on Sunday, the 20 August 2023.
The FIFA Women’s World Cup is ranked lower in importance than the Rugby World Cup (Men’s). Therefore, a drone show & a no more than 3-minute long fireworks display using the Sydney Harbour Bridge & no more than 2 barges should occur.

Sydney Spectaculars is of the understanding that there are no plans for a significant combined fireworks display & drone show nor a sole significant fireworks display, both of which would feature the Sydney Harbour Bridge upper arch and catwalk & no more than 2 barges.

Therefore, as of 5th April 2023, Sydney Spectaculars has decided to downgrade the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – Australia & New Zealand from an ‘extraordinary’ Sydney Spectacular to just another Sydney Spectacular but not a ‘flagship’ Sydney Spectacular as it is not an annual event.

This is a major blow for Sydney’s event industry, culture & night-time economy. The lack of a similar fireworks display and drone show will be a notable absence in the history of major events in Sydney, reduce the significance of hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 and potentially affecting Australia’s chances of one day hosting the men’s FIFA World Cup. It also leads to questions of possible discrimination on the basis of sex by FIFA, the tournament’s organisers, and the NSW Government, the government body most responsible for hosting such an event, particularly with the growth of women’s professional commercial sport in the past decade. The FIFA Women’s World Cup was first held in 1991 while the men’s FIFA World Cup was first held in 1930.

If Sydney Spectaculars finds out that by luck a significant fireworks display will occur after the Final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – Australia & New Zealand, we will immediately resume coverage of the event but at this stage, it looks unlikely. There is still every chance for a projection on the Sydney Opera House but this will not be significant as the building is lit up for many other events. A drone show is possible but such a drone show could have been held anywhere in the world – it just would be themed to Australia & New Zealand.

We wish the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – Australia & New Zealand every success.

Australia and New Zealand selected as hosts of FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™

The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ will be staged in Australia and New Zealand, following a vote taken by the FIFA Council during its meeting held via videoconference, the result of which was announced by FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

The joint bid submitted by Football Federation Australia and New Zealand Football received 22 of the 35 valid votes cast by the FIFA Council members in the first ballot, with the Colombian Football Association having obtained 13 votes. The full voting results are available below.

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ Voting Results

Following on from the astounding success of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019™ in France and the subsequent unanimous decision by the FIFA Council, the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 will be the first edition to feature 32 teams and it will also be the first to be hosted by Australia and New Zealand and across two confederations (AFC and OFC).

Media Release: FIFA