Honouring the legacy of indigenous communities like no other!

In the modern era, the World Cup has always been an opportunity for nations to make grand statements about identity and culture. The tournament is a venue, not just for sporting prowess, but for symbolic representations of the way the host nation or nations would like to be seen (or, at least, the way their governments would like them to be seen) by the rest of the world, and such identity statements have become ever more elaborate and spectacular with the passing of time.

If one purpose of the World Cup is to display the host nation's culture and identity to the world, the FIFA women's tournament did a better job than most others, leaning into the inclusion and reflection of the Indigenous cultures of both nations (Australia and New Zealand). Such inclusion could play a positive role in making the world more conscious of the cultures intertwined within. However, sadly enough, there is little to no commitment to a more lasting legacy for a few Indigenous communities.

The Women's World Cup this year has been like no other; and for several reasons. This was the first time a tournament, most often noted for its grandeur and high-level competitiveness, was hosted by two countries. FIFA, under the supervision of six Indigenous women, ensured that Australia's First Nations and New Zealand's Maori cultures were included. This was just one part of the countries' concerted efforts to celebrate their multi-ethnic heritage.

This was the first time that all of the nine host cities were referred to in both English and Indigenous terms in the FIFA materials surrounding the World Cup, including website content, signage, and broadcasts.

Several soccer organizers in both Australia and New Zealand led the push for having Indigenous flags flying at stadiums. This was not all. While New Zealand embraced diversity with a traditional Karanga call ahead of each game, Australia ensured the pre-game ceremonies included a welcome to the country by Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander elders.

AP reported that FIFA executives underwent several weeks of cultural awareness training in the run-up to the event and the players attended compulsory traditional ceremonies upon arrival. The United States was among eight teams that participated in Auckland.

"I don't think we've ever had a cultural welcome like that in any of the places we've had a World Cup before," remarked USWNT defender Kelley O'Hara. "I know how special it is for the New Zealand players, for the Australian players, for the people of New Zealand and Australia. I'm really good friends with (Ferns defender) Ali Riley, she has so much pride in the fact that this tournament is being played in New Zealand."

Spain's attempt to ridicule the haka in a video posted on social media did not go down well with many and has become a topic of some controversy. The incident led their captain Ivana Andres to apologize to elders and members of the Rangitane O Manawatu iwi (tribe) at a ceremony in the North Island city of Palmerston North, where the team was residing during the group stage.

"Their words came from the heart and there was an acknowledgment that they understood that the haka is very precious, not only to Maori but to all of Aotearoa," Iwi representative Professor Meihana Durie claimed.

Interestingly, there has been an increasing effort overall to honour the culture in New Zealand. It is common to refer to the country as Aotearoa, which means "land of the long white cloud." The greeting Kia Ora is a common greeting at restaurants and shops.

Sarai Bareman, FIFA's head of women's soccer, is of Dutch and Samoan descent and was raised in New Zealand. "I can't even remember the number of conversations that I've had until today with people who have come from overseas, who have commented about how special it is to have a 'Welcome to Country' in First Nations and in Maori when the teams are coming onto the field," Bareman said. "People think that is so special, and it is, and it's so unique. And how amazing that these two beautiful cultures are being shown, literally, to the entire globe."

Although his World Cup may have opened the floodgates for nations to embrace diversity and earn the appreciation they deserve, the First Nations groups have questioned Australia's Legacy 23 plan that seeks to grow women's soccer in Australia beyond the tournament. So much so that Indigenous Football Australia's council sent a letter to FIFA last month decrying the lack of commitment to Indigenous-led soccer organizations going forward.

"Despite ubiquitous Indigenous culture, symbolism, traditional ceremonies and installations at the World Cup and the holding out of Indigenous culture as something of central value to football, not a single dollar from the legacy program has been committed to organizations that are Indigenous-led," the letter said. "Without support for the Indigenous community and their programs, we consider this symbolism empty."

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John Moriarty, the first Indigenous player for Australia's national team, launched a GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign to support the work it is doing through soccer with First Nations children in remote communities. Support and advancement of Indigenous football programs were integral parts of the sport's national commitment, supported by its National Indigenous Advisory Group, according to Football Australia.

But IFA council member Ros Moriarty begged to differ. She said the response to the letter "doesn't address our concerns with what we see as contraventions of FIFA's own human rights statutes for self-determination for indigenous peoples."

"It's the Indigenous-led grassroots football programming and movement that we're part of that we're looking to see recognition of," she said. "But, as importantly, we're looking to understand how part of the legacy fund is going to be directed to programs such as ours that have been delivering for a long time, and carrying the heavy weight of football in Australia for Indigenous people."

Kyah Simons and veteran goalkeeper Lydia Williams were Indigenous players on Australia's World Cup roster. Ros Moriarty said the relative lack of young Indigenous players coming into the top national soccer teams was evidence the ‘pipeline' and engagement needed more attention.

"It seems to us, that a World Cup on our shores that ignores the movement that Australia has experienced toward acknowledging and recognizing Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander self-determination...without a (specific) allocation from this legacy fund, is tone deaf," she added.

The New Zealand soccer federation also partnered with Maori Football Aotearoa and Sport New Zealand to develop a school program aimed at increasing participation in sports for young girls from different backgrounds, including Indigenous communities.

"The Sport continues to grow, as you see it is the most participated sport in the country. We are aided by the growth of futsal, which just can't stop growing as well," said Andrew Pragnell, CEO of New Zealand Football. "We've got to make sure we continue to make sure our environments are well connected and that they're supporting as many young people to join the sport from all walks of life as possible."