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ootball Australia (FA) CEO, James Johnson, revealed the hopes of finding a new naming rights partner for the Socceroos is a top priority for the organisation.

The discussion comes after the Matildas signed a new naming rights partnership with the Commonwealth Bank earlier this year.

The Socceroos were last partnered with Caltex since 2016, before FA decided to hold off on bringing in a new naming rights partner in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“So we’ve gone very hard with Matildas,” Johnson said, talking about the shift in focus.

“I think you can see that all our comms on our socials, we really tried to promote the Matildas during COVID and naturally there was an opportunity there because of the Women’s World Cup and I think we’ve done a good job doing that.

“We are now at a stage where the Matildas have started playing and now, we’re trying to get the Socceroos and Olyroos up and playing and they will start in June and naturally you’ll see a broadening if you like of our marketing and we’re going to go hard on the Socceroos.

“So this is our priority now in terms of naming rights, it will be the Socceroos,” he said.

Speaking on the criticism of the Socceroos partnership with Caltex, Johnson said: “Partnerships are absolutely key, it’s not just the way I look at sponsorships, it’s not just about trying to bring money in the door.”

“It’s about creating good alignment on values, and I think in the case of Rebel, Priceline and Commonwealth Bank, they believe in our vision, they believe in our values.

“We’ve talked a lot about repositioning the sport, having a strong emphasis on the women’s game, on the Matildas, because that’s where our big growth corridor is in terms of our participation numbers in the women’s game.

“Really creating this strong nexus between the historical brand strength of the Socceroos, of the emerging brand strength of the Matildas and this great multicultural and diverse community of football people that we have, and these organisations have bought into this,” he said.