Frank Lowy AC

Recent Speaker

Chairman of Football Federation Australia

June 15, 2009

Australia's bid for the FIFA World Cup!

AUSTRALIA 2018 - 2022

The FIFA World Cup is the greatest show on earth - attracting bigger crowds, more corporate support and the biggest television audiences of all international events - and involving 32 of the world's best teams in a five week festival of football.

With Australia set to participate in its second consecutive appearance at the FIFA World Cup finals tournament in South Africa in 2010, Football Federation Australia is also bidding for the right to host the tournament in either 2018 or 2022.  We're up against formidable opposition - including England, Spain, Russia and the USA - but FFA Chairman, Frank Lowy, and CEO, Ben Buckley, are confident of success in what is nonetheless described as a 'David and Goliath' task.

Frank Lowy outlines the reasons why, the 'nation changing' benefits for Australia and the Asian region if Australia wins the right, and his plans for achieving success.

Frank Lowy is executive chairman and co-founder of the Westfield Group. He is the founder and chairman of the Lowy Institute for International Policy, has been a member of The Brookings Institution's International Advisory Council since 2005, chairman of The Institute for National Security Studies and was a member of the Board of the Reserve Bank of Australia for a decade until 2005.  He was awarded an AC in 2000 for service to community in the property and retail sectors and as a philanthropist committed to a wide range of social and cultural endeavours.

He was appointed as Chairman of the FFA Board in September 2003 and has been instrumental in changing the fortunes of the sport that was long considered the 'sleeping giant' in Australia.  In 2008, he was appointed to the FIFA World Cup Organising Committee.


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Ben Buckley

Ben Buckley was appointed CEO of FFA in December 2006 with a strong background in sports management and administration.  His position immediately prior to joining FFA was Chief Operating Officer at the AFL where he worked for seven years as a member of the executive management team in roles encompassing commercial operations, broadcasting, strategy and major projects and, in that role, was responsible for securing AFL's record broadcast deal.  He has previously worked with Nike, including three years as Director of Marketing for Nike in Japan, and was General Manager of EA Sports. Ben also played 74 games with the North Melbourne AFL team.