As the Matildas roar into the quarter-finals of the 2023 World Cup, the fervour across the nation created by their achievements continues to grow.
Television ratings for the Round of 16 clash with Denmark hit new highs, after impressive numbers during the group stage. It has been sell-out crowd after sell-out crowd for the Aussies, live sites have been well attended and simply stunning to witness, whilst even the more casual of football fans are getting in the mood and embracing the tournament.
No Australian team enjoys as much goodwill as the Matildas and the subsequent emotional investment made means matches are watched with clenched bums and mild headaches.
But is the average Aussie really changing their views on football and destined to stick around, or just embracing the atmosphere that will end seemingly before it has begun?
(Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images )
As research for the World Cup diary I’m currently writing, I decided to hit the streets and find out.
I asked people what they were making of the event itself and the Matildas run that is threatening to build into a formidable one.
I started with KP, and Indian migrant who manages my local bottle shop. “It is amazing, I never realised so many people were interested in women’s football. I don’t know the players but I’m trying to learn about as many as I can.”
Not 20 metres away, I stationed myself outside a major supermarket, with the manager on duty Lynne, a Kiwi by birth, holding a very different view of the World Cup. “I lost interest when we were knocked out. I don’t really care now, I’ll be supporting whoever plays Australia.”
I sent a survey to school with my daughter and asked her to canvas the views of her peers. The 40 girls surveyed rated the tournament as a collective 9.2 out of 10 and all indicated that they were more, rather than less likely, to attend an A-League Women’s match after watching the World Cup.
Note to Football Australia, get on this quickly please and ensure it happens.
I pulled up a chair alongside the volunteer Justices of the Peace outside the supermarket and asked a few random folk what they were making of the tournament as they strolled by.
“It is so good to see women being the stars for once”, said one. “I’ve been watching the matches with my kids and we went to the Republic of Ireland game, now they both want to play football” commented another and a teenage boy who plays park football himself said interestingly, “The matches have been great, the quality of the play is really high.”
It was difficult to find a person disengaged with the World Cup, only the odd grouch crossed my path. One elderly fella took the cake when he claimed not to have watched one second of the coverage and it made me wonder just what would possess someone to be so headstrong and determined to do so.
(Photo by Maddie Meyer – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
A full morning on the clipboard led into a much required haircut. The shop is run by two Persian brothers who employ a Syrian MMA fan and a Lebanese bodybuilder. I chatted to them all for around ten minutes and each one was enjoying the tournament despite not being football supporters outside of the English Premier League.
I asked them if they were a little surprised by the quality, the crowds and the interest. To a man they all said yes and had a wine and cheese night planned for the clash with Denmark that evening.
My next door neighbours are South American – one Colombian, the other Argentinian. Over a cool beverage on the front lawn, they outlined the supporter-ship plan of attack for the next week.
“We are going for Colombia, yet if they don’t get through we will become Matildas fans straight away. It actually gives us a good chance to be emotionally involved deeper into the tournament.”
It was interesting to chew over the Argentinian’s comment, “I never thought I would see this level of interest in football in Australia. It is madness out there. Not quite as mad as South America, but pretty mad.”
(Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
Last Sunday morning I watched some Women’s NPL Youth football at Bella Vista Public School in Sydney’s Northwest. Catching up with parents, old friends and many of the players, their sentiments around the World Cup echoed the ones I gathered the following Monday.
It appears obvious the tournament has done what many predicted and reached out to people well beyond those already passionate about the game. Now it is in Football Australia’s hands to cash in and parlay the interest and engagement into something more meaningful.
That is the area where much scepticism still exists, with fears that all the goodwill and passion may pass when the caravan drives off and we all feel a little depressed for a few days when it is finally over.
Hopefully, the legacy goals that have been laid out remain on track and result in real change and growth in Australian football. I’d suggest that each and every Matildas win makes that an even stronger possibility.
zonecadet
Roar Rookie
The men's team have a place in our hearts as they take on the World every four years or so, the Matildas have now cemented a place in our hearts too. However, beyond boosting numbers in the Women's game at the grass-roots level, almost immediately I would think, I can't see the A-leagues benefitting from this upsurge of 'interest' in the round-ball code. Much like cricket, if you think about it, where the nation loves to turn up to or tune in to test matches involving Australia but ignore anything (BBL apart) below that I think this is where broader interest will remain for football. Socceroos and Matildas yes, A-Leagues, not so much. But hey, funnier things have happened.
ockeroo
Roar Rookie
Make sure the TV cameras devote plenty viewing time to our politicians. Especially the PM and other pollies, who have done bollocks for football over the last decade. Best scenario I hope for, is to see the crowd echoing out LOUDLY Melissa Barbieri's backhander to PM Albo , when she said in no uncertain terms to this so-and-so PM : "How about you just fund our f...king sport, properly? Yep, this is the ideal time for the 70,000 + football supporters to scream and make these parasite pollies cringe, ... the very ones who are probably in the best seats at the stadium, reserved for themselves and their hangers-on. Wonder if anyone can guess how many pollies, their kin and cahoots will be "guesting" this WC quarter-final? 1000 perhaps? And can Melissa Barbieri have the final say after this quarter-final .... again?
Grem
Roar Rookie
Garlo’s pie and a KB!
coolncold
Roar Rookie
Japan has been kicked out of the tournament as Sweden knows how they play. France knows how Matidas play very well too. Hope Kerr is a x-factor after recovery from injury.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
I am not going to disagree, but if you want respect you have to earn it and list three points where NRL and AFL have earned respect. The drugs, the drink drive, the domestic violence, the sexual assault. Tell me how my titles for those sports are not accurate. Additionally, tell me why the Matildas are not playing at the MCG. They'd fill it. 110,000 would be a reality, but a pocketed sport that doesn't even have buy in from the greater Australian population takes precedence over a football world cup. If those sports are a reflection of Australian culture, then the nation needs to hang its head in shame
BlouBul
Roar Rookie
Someone has to pay hence the ads.
Ben Pobjie
Expert
Admittedly I’d probably still want England to beat South Africa.
Kangas
Roar Rookie
Every country has other professional sports where they could say if only they played soccer etc. etc . Sports much more demanding than league or Aussie rules . We are way too biased in Australia about our sports stars.
Grem
Roar Rookie
And knowing you that was probably your penultimate point! If football had access to all talent that is out there, it would probably rank higher in the world - more than likely true. That would be because our talent pool would nearly double and there’d be more choice. The bigger the talent pool you have, the better you will likely perform. Luckily football already has the biggest talent pool - fact. The extra hundreds of thousands from AFL and the hundred thousand or so from the two rugbies would not quite equal what we have now, but they would be a useful addition. Third ranked? Football is possibly the third most popular football for watching. Lots of people do sit on their backsides watching AFL and NRL - fact. Although the Matildas are more popular for viewing at this present time than AFL or NRL - fact. When it comes to participation, football proudly ranks as number 1 - fact. AFL may come in at 2 and the rugbies are a long way back. Losing players to the oblate spheroid ball codes? All codes lose players as time goes on - usually to work, university, partners, family, etc and in the case of the oblate spheroid ball codes - fear of or actual concussion and future dementia. Perhaps a few footballers would like to chance their luck in the oblate spheroid ball codes as they have less participants and therefore more chance of “success”. It is certainly easier to become a Buddy Franklin than a Harry Kewel or greater than that - a Lionel Messi. Set your sights lower and you won’t be disappointed.
Grem
Roar Rookie
I’m not sure about losing players at an older age to other codes. All codes will have drop offs as players age because of work, partners, university and in the case of the oblate spheroid ball codes - concussion and future dementia issues. Perhaps some footballers will chance their luck in smaller, domestic codes, where they are not competing against the largest pool of talent in Australia and beyond that - the world - where the chance of being successful is probably greater. It would obviously be a lot easier to be a Buddy Franklin than a Lionel Messi.
chris1
Roar Rookie
Win or lose we're at the business end and only a few games to go. All games are sold out and whilst there wont be as many people watching on TV if the tillies bow out, we all know this has been an amazing WC with unbelievable crowd support.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
And the ultimate point l make is that if we didn't have the AFL, NRL and, to a lesser extent, the ARU we would be in the World's Top 10 in :football: . We are the best :football: Nation in the World where :football: is the 3rd ranked Football. The FA lose a lot of players to the others as they get older. A known fact.
Grem
Roar Rookie
They also love Ellie Carpenter, Mary Fowler, Haley Raso - there’s quite a few. And they all play for big clubs.
criag
Roar Rookie
It will be interesting to see how engaged with the tournament the broader population remains should The Matildas be knocked out in the coming stages, but interest would surely have grown. There were some unimpressive matches in the early stages, but the speed and skill has been impressive in the later stages. I’m not overly impressed with the host broadcaster outside the actual game presentations in their news programs. It’s becoming like America…there is very little mention of any other games other than Australia’s, and you’ve got reporters shouting things like ‘We’re going all the way! Woooh!’ Hopefully they’re not building people up for a fall. They should be promoting the whole tournament more rather than just focussing on us. You go to their streaming service and there are only full match replays and then a lot of shorter stuff mostly about Australia. Their news frequently leads with something like a sideshow AFL story like an ex coach maybe going somewhere, then there’s a quick check-up on the Matildas, virtually ignoring other games. The actually said: ‘there’s two quarter finals in NZ tomorrow, but everyone’s focus is on the Matildas!” At least tell us who’s playing in them!
chris1
Roar Rookie
FIL I don't think the Japanese will win it. To me they lack physicality and whilst they destroyed Spain, it was more of everything went right for them that night. Spain lack physicality as well and I think both Spain and Japan will struggle against an Australia or a France. Hopefully we meet Japan in the final :)
matth
Roar Guru
I’m 52 and I played football all through my youth, in Redcliffe in QLD, a massive rugby league town. We never had anything like that sort of prejudice, with most kids following and playing all different sports. I’m not saying those things didn’t happen to you, and Melbourne seems to have a particular level of historical angst. But if we act out in 2023 on the base of how the world was in 1980, how can we ever move forward? We can’t throw unprovoked insults and when called on it respond with “but they started it”. That’s schoolyard stuff
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
I mean nothing would please me more than seeing Colombia knock the Poms over.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
I reckon the sleeping giant James, is the Japanese. The fact that they sorted the Spanish out to the tune of 4 zip. If our girls don't get through, and I am praying they do, I want an Asian win. The Japanese would be deserved title holders.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
is that a self-purchased politically correct pedestal you have put yourself on David. Assumption is the mother of all errors.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Matth, I am not sure how long you have been around football or what age you are, but I am over 50 years of age. I have played football for decades, I have coached football, and I now support my nephews playing football. Newcastle is a town where the Rugby League people have taken free license to denigrate, insult, and take every negative action against football you can think of. Back in my day, the packs of Rugby League players that would patrol the school grounds looking for the "Soccer P@#$ters" and beat the living custard out of them was a dead set bloody disgrace. If Johnny Warren was still around he'd tell you. I once had the privilege of meeting him and he totally agreed with my experience. But hey only men played rugby league. Me, I fought back, i would take some beatings and I messed a few of them up as well. Any nephew of mine will not be taking that sort of approach. But you have to ask the question do you allow yourself to be subject to that treatment or do you do something about it. I played Union as well, and the Union still conduct themselves in a dignified manner. That was a different time, but a leopard doesn't change its spots. The obstructive actions the blantant plagiarism of Football marketing strategies it's just gutter tactics. Nothing has changed it's just evolved into a different form. You might be of a different more "politically correct" generation, but you have to understand history to understand where we are now. If you don't understand the history, don't make the comment.