Malaysia — 14 April, 2022 — Xero, the global small business management platform, has been named as a FIFA Women’s Football Partner under FIFA’s new commercial partnership structure that will come into effect in 2023. The global partnership will cover the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™, as well as the 2024 and 2026 editions of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup™ and the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup™.
Xero will use the partnership to champion women’s football and to further empower women working in small businesses and their communities around the world. As part of the agreement, Xero will also support two FIFA women’s football development programmes: Capacity-Building for Administrators, and Coach Education Scholarships.
Sarai Bareman, FIFA’s Chief Women’s Football Officer, said: “We are thrilled to officially welcome Xero on board as a global FIFA Women’s Football Partner under our new commercial partnership structure, which will allow us to maximise support for the women’s game.
“Not only is this a momentous day for women’s football globally, but as a proud New Zealander, I am so excited that FIFA is partnering with a company that was founded in New Zealand. This is a partnership that will accelerate the growing momentum behind women’s football and our ambition to make the game truly global. To have a brand on board that is so passionate about empowering women – and especially one from a co-host of the next FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023 – is wonderful to see.”
Rachael Powell, Xero’s Chief Customer Officer, said: “We’re very excited to announce this partnership with FIFA and are proud to be a new Women’s Football Partner. Having two great brands come together to champion women in football from the community level through to the world stage is a powerful proposition.
“For women’s football to thrive, the financial viability of clubs at all levels is essential to attract, develop and nurture talent. Put simply, we believe that better numbers off the field will deliver better numbers on the field.
“Together, Xero and FIFA share many goals and important values, driven by a passion and purpose to foster participation and community connections. This global partnership not only gives us a platform for brand visibility around the world, it also provides a fabulous opportunity to create deeper relationships with small businesses and communities that support the growth of the women’s game,” Powell added.
Xero, which was founded in New Zealand in 2006, has more than three million subscribers globally, offering small businesses and their advisers access to real-time financial data anytime, anywhere and on any device. Xero offers an ecosystem of over 1,000 third-party apps and 300 plus connections to banks and other financial partners.
Xero’s partnership category will include small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) business management software, accounting and bookkeeping (AB) practice management software, and SME and AB software app stores.
The first tournament covered under the partnership will be the expanded FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in 2023 that will see 32 teams compete across nine cities in Australia and New Zealand.
For more information about the event, visit FIFA.com. To read more about Xero’s commitment to women’s football, visit xero.com/xero-fifa-womens-football.
