There has been a run on all things green and gold this week in Australia, after the Matildas’ streak of victories in the Women’s World Cup.
Nike said that there has been “record breaking” demand for the team jersey, with this year’s outselling the 2019 World Cup’s edition 13 to one. More Matildas jerseys have been sold in Australia in the past three months than before, during and after any previous tournament.
“This year’s tournament is a generational moment for sport and culture, and never has this been more strongly reflected than the past week,” the Asia-Pacific general manager of Nike, Ashley Reade, said. “To see Australians of all ages rally around the Matildas is a catalysing time for women’s sport and these unprecedented jersey sales only cement their status as national icons.”
But it does mean those searching for an official item to wear to Wednesday evening’s semi-final against England might face an uphill battle.
Merchandise bought online is unlikely to make it in time, which means fans keen to show their colours will have to visit bricks and mortar stores ahead of the game – or get creative.
Where to buy official Matildas merchandise
Rebel Sport and Ultra Football are Australia’s largest official stockists of Matildas’ merchandise.
Ultra Football said their Sydney and Melbourne stores still have Matildas merchandise available, although they have sold out of scarves, beanies, water bottles, the Ultra FC x Matildas collaboration range and the 2023 official match and replica home jersey range.
“But we have been doing our best regarding a restock as these are our most popular of the range,” the spokesperson said.
Those willing to take a punt on speedy shipping or a semi-final victory (or ideally both) can still find some items from Ultra Football’s range on the Football Australia website, although sizing is limited. The minimalist oversized hoodie ($80), T-shirt ($40) and ribbed tank ($40) are our favourites, as they’re understated enough to wear on non-match days.
Coveted beanies and scarves are also available from Football Australia, including a cable-knit number with a pom-pom on top ($30) and, delightfully, Hayley Raso hair clips ($8).
Guardian Australia were unable to reach Rebel Sport for comment. We did, however, spend several hours on their website checking stock levels. Although we encountered frequent 404 errors, it is possible to find some items’ stock levels in physical stores on the Rebel Sport website – but it takes some persistence.
Matildas home and away jerseys ($115) are still available online through the Nike website.
Frank Green have a popular line of reusable ceramic Matildas cups and water bottles. They are almost entirely sold out in physical stores, though there are a few remaining around Australia. They are still available online, but there’s no guarantee products will arrive before the match.
Their warehouse is based in Melbourne, so it is possible customers in that city might still get their purchase in time.
Adidas have permission to make Women’s World Cup merchandise, but as Nike are the team outfitter of the Matildas, the Adidas offering simply says “Australia”. Nevertheless, if you would like to channel Jenna Ortega’s inexplicable appearance in the Adidas ads that run seemingly hundreds of times each match, their T-shirts are $55 and hoodies are $110.
How to make your own unofficial Australia merchandise
While official Raso ribbons are tragically sold out, you could channel a similar spirit with a yellow, $10 Scunci scrunchie with tails from Big W, or plain-old ribbon from your craft box, or your nearest haberdashery store.
Alternatively, if you’re quick with a pair of needles, you could make your own merch, as Lisa Favazzo, a Guardian Australia multimedia journalist did. “I was devastated I couldn’t buy any merch with Matildas branding. Luckily, there is no shortage of green and gold yarn at Spotlight,” she said.
“With a Wednesday deadline in mind, I knitted this with a stockinette stitch, a bit of simple colour work, on really thick needles and with double-held yarn.”
“The length of the final piece will come down to how much knitting time I can squeeze in before Wednesday.”
Matildas fever has also taken hold for Maggie Zhou, a slow-fashion advocate. “As a new fan of sport in general I own zero sport merch,” she said, but this didn’t stop her from getting creative with her own wardrobe to style a Matildas-core look.
“I was lucky my boyfriend had an old Socceroos shirt,” she said. But she was also surprised by how much green and gold was secretly lurking in her wardrobe.
She wore her boyfriend’s jersey over a neon yellow long sleeved shirt, then pulled a bright green vest over the top. “You’re allowed to have creative freedom when it comes to your Matildas core look,” she said. “I definitely am in the mindset that you don’t need to buy new to show support.”
Makeup and temporary tattoos
If you want to buy something official, but don’t have the need (or funds) for a jersey, temporary tattoos are probably your best bet.
At just under $5 a pop, a sheet of official Matildas tatts are accessibly priced and fairly widely available. Although some stores have sold out, at time of writing there were still Rebel Sport outlets that had them in stock in every Australian capital city.
Alternatively, you could buy off-brand, but on-theme with green and gold zinc. Sunzapper’s $21 trio of green, gold and beige zincs are widely available at Woolworths nationwide. A trio of green, gold and white Zinc Sticks (which are technically Surf Life Saving merch, but have the right palette) are available from Big W nationwide for $17, while Rebel Sport sells face paint for $9.99.
Sally Hansen nail polish – available from Chemist Warehouses and Priceline Pharmacies around the country – comes in several shades of yellow and green – our picks are the Xtreme Wear line in Big Apple and Daisy Dukes ($6.99 each). For a fancier Matildas-themed manicure, try OPI’s Nature Strong in Leaf by Example and Make My Daisy ($23.95), stocked at David Jones and Myer.
Although, a word of warning on the nails, from Favazzo: “I had green and gold nails, but I picked off all the gold during Saturday’s penalties.”
