Football Australia

The Australian Government has partnered with Football Australia through PacificAus Sports since 2019. 

Football is popular throughout the Pacific with 11 member associations and three associate members in the Oceania Confederation. National federations in Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Tonga are responsible for leading football’s growth and development at the grassroots and elite levels. 

Highlights of the PacificAus Sports partnership to date include the Westfield Junior Matildas Pacific Step-up tour, the first Australian national football team since 2005 to tour the Pacific. 

The team travelled to Tonga, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands, competing in matches against the island nations’ national football teams, taking part in joint training sessions, and learning more about the cultures of the countries. 

One of the highlights of the tour was the game against the Solomon Islands team which was the first ever international women’s football fixture in Solomon Islands. As a result of the popularity of the tour and matches there, the Solomon Islands Football Federation established the first ever national women’s football league in 2020, with eight teams competing.

The tour also led to new sponsorships for the national women’s teams in Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, with the matches broadcast live on television and radio throughout the Pacific.