Stealing the hearts of Australians and New Zealanders for the past two months, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup has advanced the game of football across the world and delivered consistent heart-stopping entertainment.

Working 24/7 to make sure these incredible games were accessible and viewable worldwide was the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup International Broadcast Centre (IBC), located in the heart of Sydney Olympic Park at Sydney Showground.

After 107 days of transforming 9,500 sqm of Sydney Showground’s Halls 5 & 6 into a broadcast production and telecommunications hub for the Tournament, the party has officially come to an end, with the IBC closing its doors for the final time on Friday.

Sydney Showground General Manager Darryl Jeffrey says the departure ends an exciting chapter of Australia’s sporting history.

“The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup has been an incredible event for Australia, and as a venue, it has been an absolute honour to be a part of its journey and legacy,” Jeffrey said.

“The execution of the International Broadcast Centre was no easy feat. It pushed us as a venue to ensure we were delivering the highest quality of service for FIFA over the 107-day lease while also executing surrounding events for key clients.

“FIFA, the host broadcaster and wider team essentially built an information technology city, completely transforming Halls 5 & 6 into a home for the renowned organisation in Australia. Due to the importance of the broadcast coverage, power sources had to be unbreakable and internet consistent to run 24/7 during their operational period. External air conditioning was installed to ensure equipment was kept cool, and an internal café was built and managed to ensure staff had the sustenance required.

“It was a huge execution but such an achievement for both the FIFA team and our venue; I couldn’t be prouder of the way our team executed each task and came to every challenge with a can-do attitude.”

Over a fifty-four-day period from May – July, Sydney Showground worked alongside FIFA to transform 9,500 sqm of its Halls 5 & 6 into a multi-functional Broadcast centre.

In total, 2.5km of temporary walls were erected, utilising approximately 3,800 sheets of gyprock and 3,500 sqm of carpet was laid. To ensure no kick, goal or save was missed, about 15km of power cables were installed, and three types of power were utilised for Broadcast technical, Broadcast Domestic and Venue Domestic use.

In the café, over 6,779 cups of tea and coffee, 5,650 hot meals and 1,296 pies and sausage rolls kept the FIFA team going over the four-month period.

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup International Broadcast Centre was home to:

·       FIFA departments (Host Broadcast Production, Broadcast Services, FTI, High Performance, Infotainment, FIFA Studios)

·       Host Broadcaster (HBS)

·       Media Rights Licensees

·       Local FIFA subsidiary delivering IBC services (event technology, transport, security, catering, accreditation). 

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup International Broadcast Centre was operational from July 13 until August 21, running 24/7 throughout these dates to ensure no coverage was missed.

Although the IBC has now officially departed Sydney, the 2023 Women’s World Cup legacy will remain for decades to come and become a hallmark moment in Sydney Showground’s history.