Comparing the crowds to other football codes misses the point completely. This is a football World Cup. This is as big as the Olympics the local media would have understood that if they weren’t so financially dependent on the other codes.

The Matildas group game and all of the knockout stage games in Melbourne should have been played at Docklands or the MCG but the AFL said no and none of the media dared cross them. Which also means all of the crowd records we’ve set this tournament will be blown away when the next one is held in a football nation.

The real test of the legacy of this World Cup will be how many new fans start turning up to and watching the A-League Women and how many people that subscribed to Optus for the tournament keep their subscription to watch the WSL. I really hope that Football Australia an the APL are already developing a “made in the A-League’s” marketing campaign with the players.