Kiwi’s footprint on global game
Bareman named among world’s Best XI movers and shakers of women’s football
New Zealander Sarai Bareman has been included in a prestigious list of the most influential figures in women’s football. Bareman, the Chief Women’s Football Officer for Fifa, has been named in the inaugural Women’s International Champions Cup Best XI, comprising the players, executives, coaches and others doing the most to advance the women’s game.
Others selected by an expert panel include 2019 women’s Ballon d’Or recipient and double World Cup winner American Megan Rapinoe and Brazilian legend Marta.
“It’s a huge honour,” Bareman told the Herald from Fifa headquarters in Zurich.
“What’s important to me is it’s recognising really fantastic people who have done a lot of work over many years and I’m humbled and honoured to be considered amongst them,” she said.
Bareman has been in her role for four years and is responsible for the global development of women’s football, making her one of the foremost New Zealand sporting executives in the world.
Her wide-ranging brief includes supporting Fifa’s 211 member federations, the delivery of senior and age-group World Cups as well as governance, regulatory frameworks and the commercialisation of women’s football.
The progress under Bareman’s watch has been significant, including the unprecedented popularity of the 2019 Women’s World Cup, with more than 1.1 million fans packed into the stands in France.
Players like Rapinoe and Marta are now household names while sponsorship income as well as broadcasting revenues have increased and female representation
at governance level has also become more balanced.
“It’s so much more common nowadays to see a female face amongst the executive in the decision making and administrative bodies of our game in what traditionally has been a very male-dominated sport, it’s about time,” Bareman said.
She acknowledges there is still work to be done as Fifa works towards an ambitious target of 60 million female players by 2026, with one of the biggest obstacles being access to the game for all females.
“Unfortunately, there are still places in the world where it’s frowned upon for women to play,” she said.
“There are even places where girls can’t set foot on a field for various cultural reasons. Every young girl or woman who wants to play our game should be given that opportunity.
“You can’t do a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution for that. It needs to be a tailormade approach. You need to get on the ground in those countries and know intimately what the barriers are, then work with the country within their landscape to see what you can do to support them. There are lots of creative ways to do that.
“We know very well the positive impacts of the game. If we can spread that even further, then absolutely we should.”
With the 2023 Women’s World Cup to be co-hosted by New Zealand and
Australia, Bareman has no doubt about the effect the tournament will have in her home country.
“I don’t think New Zealand quite knows the scope of the Women’s World Cup. The impact this event will have for women’s football across the Pacific region is just going to be massive.
“I also can’t wait for the world to see how amazing New Zealand is. We have such a wonderful, unique culture that I’ve come to appreciate so much more since living in Europe. There’s no place in the world like New Zealand.
“Our people are so welcoming and the atmosphere and culture we have is so incredible.
“I can’t wait to be able to show that off to the world through the Women’s World Cup.”
The inaugural Best XI comprises three players; Megan Rapinoe, Marta Vieira da Silva and Wendie Renard; one coach — Jill Ellis; one referee — Bibiana Steinhaus; one owner — Michel Aulas; three executives — Kelly Simmons, Moya Dodd and Sarai Bareman; one journalist — Meg Linehan; and one activist — Khalida Popal.