The hopes and dreams of the wider A-League community was that the momentum of the 2022 World Cup would propel the sport to a much-desired footballing renaissance. The kind we’ve never really had in this country.
Of course, the amalgamation of the Australian Professional Leagues (APL), poor governance and the ugly fan thuggery that followed, abruptly dashed that brief optimism. Understandably, for many aggrieved fans, the agony of setback was too much to bear and their only solution was to withdraw hope altogether. For those of us remaining – even blindly – the new question arises: how do we regain Aussie football fervour?
Enter the Matildas.
Globally, professional sport is traditionally spearheaded by men’s competitions. In football this has been an undeniable truth.
However, for Australian families, the appetite for both sons and daughters to compete – and conquer – at the highest-level now rests evenly. The consequence being that our Australian women are remarkable athletes in virtually every discipline that they turn their hands to – including football.
Indeed, the beloved Matildas currently rank twelfth in the world, having achieved a high of fourth in seasons past. For those involved in the community game, the steady progression of women’s football is clearly witnessed and has grown in abundance.
Mary Fowler of the Matildas celebrates scoring a goal with teammates during the International Friendly Match between the Australia Matildas and Canada at Allianz Stadium on September 06, 2022 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
Whilst the quality of the women’s game may not be adored – or even respected – by many, Australia’s responsibility of co-hosting the 2023 Women’s World Cup offers a means of capturing the hearts and minds of Aussie sports fans. Being a World Cup, it is undoubtedly the biggest football event to reach our shores.
The global attention garnered will be the most during a sports event since the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Football Australia must do everything in their power to engage Australians and market the sheer magnitude of the occasion. Football must do what many struggle to achieve: win the media. And in the female game where hooliganism and thuggery are seldom reported, that is a realistic objective.
Of course, marketing is nothing without performance. To maximise the potential gains, the Matildas need to make a deep run into the knockout stage. This necessity is not overly demanding – the Matildas will play every match as crowd favourites, regardless of opposition.
Tony Gustavsson leads a squad that has the player quality and mentality to make a stubborn challenge. Should the Matildas inspire the kind of daring run that saw them play semi-finals at the Tokyo Olympics, Aussie sports fans will be treated to a front row experience rarely seen on home shores. To play in front of an 80,000 strong crowd in a do-or-die match will demand the attention of even football’s harshest critics.
For our children, this tournament needs to deliver the kind of on-field brilliance that inspires them to grab the round ball and run. Female and male kids alike will enjoy the 30-yard screamer or Sam Kerr backflip. We need these matches to showcase the spectacular highlights that is so often put on the back burner by our so called sports journalists.
Just likeTim Cahill’s volley in the 2014 World Cup against the Netherlands, our children deserve to enjoy moments of that nature, where they are fully immersed in the beautiful game as we all were.
Football Australia, the ball is in your court. There is plenty at stake and the future of football in Australia may depend on it.
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What if we celebrated all of the achievements big and small, and weeded out those hell-bent on bringing down a game that is doing a hell of a lot right?
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