Lack of Channel 7 Women's World Cup coverage has been an opportunity lost

Aside from Matildas games, the World Cup has barely been seen on free-to-air TV - massively reducing the impact it could have had on Australia's future generations. And that's a massive shame.

When I got back from a holiday in France two weeks ago, I flicked on Channel 7 assuming I'd find wall-of-wall coverage of the world game. Just like I'd been able to do on FTA TV in France.

But no. Channel 7 have barely shown any games so far, with subscription service Optus Sports the only way to see them. And, as one of the more expensive streaming options around, not everyone can afford to do that. Especially in the current economic climate.

Channel 7 is not even showing all of the knockout games, which is an absolute joke.

Again, I assumed when the round of 16 kicked off on Saturday they'd surely have to start taking the World Cup seriously.

Wrong.

When Switzerland and Spain go head-to-head in the first clash at the business end of the tournament , Seven will instead be focusing on some second-rate horses running (slowly) around Flemington race track. Something they'll also be showing on their racing.com channel - just in case you want to watch it on two televisions.

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Unless you can go to the games - or France - you're still going to struggle to watch it. (M6 is the French channel you want if you're thinking of jumping on a Concorde and making a made dash to Paris to catch the game.)

Attending them might not be a problem in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide or Perth - almost every Aussie capital city - but as Canberrans are well aware there aren't any games here. Feel free to travel around the country - or to France - to watch them, but don't expect to see too much of it in the capital.

We could get to the final at Homebush on August 20 and have two teams playing each other no one's seen yet. Assuming Channel 7 televises the final. Fingers crossed. Maybe the Matildas have to make it to the decider to ensure that happens? Who knows.

So far the crowds have been excellent - averaging 25,476 across the 48 games in Australia and New Zealand. That climbs to 29,534 just for the 24 Aussie games - despite Adelaide's Hindmarsh Stadium having a capacity of just 13,327, which they've almost completely filled in all four of their games.

It's made the ACT government's decision not to host any games seem almost as big a joke as the lack of FTA coverage.

Canberrans were told the government wouldn't pay through the nose only for World Cup minnows to run out in front of empty stands at Canberra Stadium. That fear was proven to be clearly offside when 24,323 fans filed into the Sydney Football Stadium at 12pm last Tuesday to watch Colombia beat South Korea.

The best the capital could hope for was a glimpse of the World Cup trophy when it made a brief appearance on Thursday. That should inspire the kiddies. Almost as good as going to a game, I'm sure.

But the reach and legacy of the Women's World Cup could've been so much more. If only Channel 7 (and the ACT government) had treated it with the credit it deserved.

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