NEWCASTLE could be forgiven for feeling a bit hard done by when the Women's World Cup fixtures failed to include Turton Road.
In December the city was snubbed again, finding itself among the six potential training base locations left off a longer list of 35.
Newcastle lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes in December described the snub as "very disappointing", saying: "We have been told that they didn't want teams to travel more than an hour from Sydney".
The news came just over a year after a record Newcastle crowd for a Matildas match of 20,495 turned out to watch Australia draw 1-1 with world superpowers USA.
As something of a consolation prize, the region hosts Jamaica at McDonald Jones Stadium on Wednesday as part of the warm-up Cup of Nations tournament.
The ostensible snub for the region is unlikely to dim its admiration for the Matildas themselves once kick-off arrives, both this evening and throughout their campaign. The Hunter has built an affinity with the side during this generation, in which it has become truly one of the nation's most beloved squads. Sam Kerr is a household name, carving out a position in English football that her predecessors in the women's game could once barely imagine as a possibility.
Back in 2018, Newcastle saw the potential bloom when two matches in a year led to suggestions that the Hunter could vie to be the side's official home base when they played on Australian soil.
As Renee Valentine's story details, the inspiration from this team goes far beyond showing the next generation what they can do. Those who never saw the same opportunities that now lie before female athletes are getting back in the game.
Five years ago in this space we wrote that Hunter sports fans had proven gender was no barrier in their support. In 2023 it is more true than ever, especially for those who mourned a languid NRL season and celebrated an inaugural NRLW title for the Knights in the same year.
Not only that, female athletes are winning fans that male-dominated leagues have failed to attract or retain. Among those are probably some Matildas fans who will head to Broadmeadow for the Jamaica clash. Whether or not the Hunter is hard done by, it will be firmly cheering on another Australian victory. Go the Matildas.
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