In women’s football, we stand on the shoulders of giants. It is thanks to our forebears that we are where we are today. Each prior generation did the heavy lifting and made the sacrifices to make things better for those that followed. All of which took us, many decades later, to the Matildas topping their World Cup group for the first time, before a capacity crowd in Melbourne, as the television broadcast’s most-watched event of the year.
In Fifa’s first ever women’s match at the 1988 pilot tournament, Janine Riddington’s goal secured the Matildas victory over Brazil, but Australia did not qualify for the first Women’s World Cup proper in 1991. Four years later, they lost all three matches in their tournament debut. In 1999, my World Cup debut, we got our first World Cup point – a draw with Ghana. We got another point in 2003. Then in 2007, my third and final World Cup, we won our first game – beating Ghana that time. Two draws followed and for the first time we progressed out of the group stage. I remember having such pride at making history with the national team.
When I made my World Cup debut, the idea that Australia could top the group was out of reach – we believed, sure, but we struggled against the might of major football nations. Our games received little attention from the media. We were grateful for our loyal fans, but we would have never packed out AAMI Park.
How things evolve. It’s amazing how one game – an incredible victory over the Olympic champions – can change the nation. We’re seeing this shift in real-time, and it extends beyond football. The respect and the inspiration that this team is getting and giving out. They say that they want to connect and unite and leave a legacy of more than just football – and that is exactly what’s happening. That’s why the win over Canada and the level of hype around this team are a huge statement for this country, not just in football, but in terms of equality and social progress – where we’re going as a society.
Some of the work I do now, since retiring from playing, is in the construction sector. It is a male-dominated industry. In recent weeks, going to work, I’ve asked my colleagues if they had watched the game. I was always apprehensive – expecting the response: “What game?” I didn’t get it, thankfully – most people knew what was happening. But by the time we beat Canada, it was other people initiating the conversation. Everyone wants to talk about the Matildas.
Coming from a time when football was a predominantly male game and we had to try to establish ourselves in our own right, to now having men starting conversations about women’s football, it makes me emotional. There’s no talk of gender – it’s just football. There’s respect.
That’s the beauty of this women’s football journey – it comes from adversity, it comes from a shared feeling that we’ve been through the hard times together. And when then you can see the light and you can see the hard work paying off, you can see hope in the future, it makes it extra special. Sport, like life, has its ups and downs along the way. But over the long-term, women’s sport has been on an upwards trajectory. And now the current Matildas are aiming for the stars.
There’s more to come. The round of 16 match-up against Denmark will be tough. It’s anybody’s game in the knockout rounds, especially at this World Cup, where we’ve seen a lot of upsets. Denmark are a strong team and are a European team with a proud history of their own.
But now the Matildas know they have four games to go – four games to claim the World Cup trophy. Every one of those games is a final in its own right. While us observers can look ahead, I know the girls will be taking it one game at a time.
The group stage gave us a plethora of experiences and emotions. From the tight, nervy first win against Ireland, to the unexpected loss to Nigeria. And then the third game was different again – everything went Australia’s way. That breadth of experience will count for plenty in the knockout rounds; it leaves Tony Gustavsson’s team as well-placed as any heading into the round of 16.
