At Football Victoria’s Community in Business Half-Time Luncheon, Michael Zappone sat down with three panel members to discuss the upcoming Women’s World Cup, as he shared a discussion with Matilda cap #204 Karly Roestbakken, Young Matilda Paige Zois and Channel 7 commentator David Basheer.
The line-up of players in the Matildas’ squad boasts a dynamic blend of youth and experience and is selected from across Australia, representing seven different Member Federations.
The team will be led by forward Sam Kerr as captain in her fourth FIFA Women’s World Cup, and defender Steph Catley as vice-captain in her third appearance at the prestigious quadrennial tournament.
Lydia Williams and Clare Polkinghorne, revered figures in Australian football, have earned the distinction of being the only male or female Australian players to participate in five FIFA World Cup finals tournaments. Their inclusion in the squad is a testament to their immense skill, dedication, and enduring legacy.
CommBank Matildas’ head coach Tony Gustavsson said the team are looking forward to sharing the FIFA Women’s World Cup experience with the nation. While he has selected 15 players who were part of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup campaign and with seven players in line to make their FIFA Women’s World Cup debuts.
With all panel members stating the significance of the event, Basheer offered: “I think it’s going to be transformational for Australian soccer because the game grows every four year cycle, if things go right we could see a really special performance from the Matildas.”
The Matildas may have their best ever chance at lifting the world cup trophy, with the panel members all predicting Australia to win the tournament. Roestbakken discussed the confidence the team has, especially playing on home soil making it a special place to play and a motivational boost.
“In all four previous world cups I’ve covered, this is the deepest squad Australia has ever had” Basheer said after backing up everyone’s prediction of Australia winning the tournament.
After being prompted ‘what do you think this will do for women’s football in Australia’, Zois offered: “It’s a rare thing to have a world cup in your backyard, football has already come a long way and this world cup is an opportunity to further grow the profile of the sport in Australia and I’m excited to see the impact this has on the legacy we are all contributing to.”
Basheer added that the game has evolved heavily in the last 10 years, noting the Ireland women’s national team – who are a competitor of the Matildas recently – recorded their highest ever crowd of 7,000, while the Matildas will soon play in front of 50,000 against France at Marvel Stadium. The numbers speak for themselves as the Matildas are building momentum heading into the tournament.
However, Zappone suggested the public aren’t aware of how big of a deal this is for the country.
Basheer highlighted the Socceroos’ success and the country heavily supporting them during their World Cup performance and suggests the same will happen with the Matildas. He spoke on the growth of the game but suggested the women’s game has evolved almost too quickly and suggests the squad size should be 26 players so the game ‘hasn’t got that right’.
Women’s football as a whole will be positively impacted by the tournament and the excitement it will create amongst football fans.
“There’s a commercial market, it is a big sport waiting to show its face,” Basheer explained on the growth of the game.
The Matildas’ opening match of the World Cup will take place on July 20 when they take on the Republic of Ireland on the opening day of the tournament.
