Home

A lasting social legacy for young people across Australia and New Zealand

Festival23 is a Festival of Football for Good, to be held in Australia during the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 Semi-final week.

Football for Good ⚽️

The global game - the beautiful game - is a powerful force that we use to foster positive social change, specifically targeting environmental sustainability and social inequality. Festival23 will celebrate the power and influence of football for good by bringing together the global football for good community during the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2023.

Festival23 is much more than just a football festival - it's an exciting opportunity for young people in Australia and New Zealand to develop leadership skills and resilience off the pitch, and to be inspired to advocate for change in key social areas aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including gender equality and female leadership, climate action, youth employability, and social cohesion and inclusion. Each of these SDGs is explored through the festival. Legacy is a key theme across Football globally. Festival23 will build a legacy of building positive social change, and happier and healthier young Australians and New Zealanders as a result.

Gender Equality

Climate Action

Youth Employability

Social Cohesion & Inclusion

A Lasting Social Legacy 🌏

Common Goal and Football United have brought together young people to leverage the power of football for good at more than 10 major football tournaments around the world for over 15 years. We are proud and passionate about the impact we have had across the world through the educational workshops, cultural programs and, of course, playing the game we love.

Here in Australia, Football United has proven, evidence-based impact in improving mental health and wellbeing, resilience, optimism, and prosocial behaviour. We also host spectacular events - most notably the Unity Football Festival held in Sydney during the AFC Asian Cup 2015 - bringing young people together to play, learn and connect.

This is the legacy we have built - and will continue to build - at Festival23. This will be only the second ever Football for Good Festival at a FIFA Women’s World Cup, and after the great success that was Festival19 in France, it is now Australia's time to showcase the positive impact of football and transform the lives of young people on our shores.

Festival19 🇫🇷