One-on-one with Elissia Carnavas: “The Matildas have got the hopes of the nation on their shoulders”

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There are less than 30 days left until the highly anticipated Women’s World Cup takes centre stage in Australia and New Zealand, which has sold over one million tickets – surpassing the previous tournament in France in 2019.

In a wide-ranging chat with Soccerscene, ex-Matilda and commentator for the upcoming Women’s World Cup, Elissia Carnavas, touches on the meaning behind co-hosting a World Cup, the women’s game in the country, preparations before commentating, pronouncing a difficult name, how the Matildas will fare and which players we will keep an eye out for.

What does hosting the World Cup mean for the nation?

Elissia Carnavas: It’s such a huge opportunity for Australia and Australian football, but l also think it’s such a huge honour for women’s sport.

From my angle as a football fan and former player, for the code it’s a fantastic honour with the trajectory of where things are going in the country for women’s sport and around the globe.

For us to host, this is enormous – l really hope it is everything that we imagined it to be and more.

Do you think people will become more involved in the women’s game, especially in Australia, after such a major tournament?

Elissia Carnavas: I think for any major sporting event that comes to Australia, both domestic and international, we are a sporting nation and we really do get on board and get behind these massive events.

What it is going to do to our sport is shine a massive spotlight here and internationally, but l do hope that as far as a take-up of football in our country and the sustainability of the code that we are able to build on it.

We need to get everyone behind it who is involved in the game to start to capitalise on that exposure to really take this game to the next level.

What are the few things that excite you in the commentary role for the tournament?

Elissia Carnavas: I love commentary and everything about it, personally it is just talking about the game day in, day out.

To be able to impart my knowledge of the game with the football public, given l have been around the game a long time over the years from an era that wasn’t as popular as what we are seeing now, l am excited to share the history with the viewers and the listeners.

What is involved in the preparation before a tournament or a game?

Elissia Carnavas: There is a lot of preparation involved in comms and the production of that, by actively keeping on top of players and squads, who is travelling, injuries to certain players.

There is a big research and development section in commentary that we need to be across and making sure that we are giving viewers and listeners accurate real time information to when we go live, a lot of it is in the build-up and keeping track of 32 teams and all their preparation.

How would you go about pronouncing a difficult name?

Elissia Carnavas: l come from an ethnic background, so l am used to difficult names. It is a bit of fun for me it’s not so much a challenge for me when you’re used to different pronunciations and different areas of the globe.

I personally believe in being completely respectful of correct pronunciations. l don’t have the easiest name myself, so l do make an effort just to get across pronunciations – sometimes l have reached out to players directly and said let me get this right for you because l think it is a respect for players and the different areas in which they come from.

How do you think the Matildas will perform?

Elissia Carnavas: The Matildas have got the hopes of the nation on their shoulders. While it’s a huge honour to have a home World Cup, it’s also an enormous amount of pressure when they do start to play.

The most difficult thing that Tony Gustavsson and the team have is the injury clouds at the moment, and l think that it will be the catalyst to how they will perform.

They will go well but l believe that it is the balance of expectation and making sure that they deliver on the day, however we should see a Round of 16 and quarter-final result.

Which players in the Matildas team do you think will be the one to watch?

Elissia Carnavas: I’m a huge fan of Sam Kerr and what she has done not only for the game, but also for herself in women’s football – it is a huge achievement where she has managed to get herself in terms of recognition and performance over the last few years.

For me, the player to watch is Caitlin Foord, as good as she is I sometimes feel she can be a little underrated just because of Sam’s presence in the squad and they play in very similar areas in the park.

Caitlin Foord is the linchpin between midfield and attack, she is a strong forward and a naturally gifted athlete.

The other player for me who is young but is the future, is Kyra Cooney-Cross. If she can step up and perform as she always does, with the injection of Katrina Gorry around her as well, they have been outstanding when they have played together. Kyra is another one to watch for this World Cup.

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Eastern Suburbs Football Association Announces First All-Female Referee Course and Expanded Women’s Competition

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Image Credit: Football NSW

The Eastern Suburbs Football Association has opened its 2026 season with three structural investments that reflect the growing ambition of community football associations to address participation, representation and development gaps simultaneously, beginning with the delivery of its first all-female Football Match Official Course.

The course, held at Matraville Sports High School and led by female liaison committee member Michelle Hilton and 2025 Referee of the Year Ariella Richards, brought 25 new female referees into the association ahead of Round 1. The initiative targets one of the most persistent imbalances in community sport, with women remaining significantly underrepresented in officiating roles at every level of the game, by creating a dedicated entry point separate from the mixed course environment that many women find unwelcoming.

The Women’s Premier League has also expanded, now featuring eleven teams and introducing a WPL1 and WPL2 structure following the first ten rounds of the season. The tiered format creates more competition opportunities for clubs across the region while providing a clearer development pathway for teams at different stages of growth. Returning clubs Randwick City, Glebe Wanderers, Easts FC and Sydney University join established sides in what the association describes as one of its most competitive women’s seasons. ESFA clubs have continued to perform strongly in state-wide competitions including the Football NSW Sapphire Cup, State Cup and Champion of Champions.

Building the next generation

The season opened with an inaugural Development League Gala Day for Under-9 to Under-12 boys and girls, bringing eight clubs together in a structured development environment ahead of Round 1. Sydney FC A-League Women’s players attended the event and engaged directly with young participants, a deliberate effort to connect grassroots players with visible examples of where the pathway leads.

“We are committed to creating more opportunities for clubs, players, coaches and referees to thrive, with a strong focus on participation opportunities to suit participants of all abilities and aspirations,” said ESFA CEO John Boulous.

The three initiatives, a new referee entry point for women, an expanded women’s competition structure, and a development-focused junior gala day with elite role models present, together reflect an association responding to the participation pressures the AFC Women’s Asian Cup has brought into sharp relief across Australian football.

Football Victoria’s Female Football Week Awards Recognise the People Empowering Women’s Football

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Image Credit: Football Victoria

Football Victoria has named its 2026 Female Football Week Award winners, recognising five women whose contributions across playing, coaching, refereeing, volunteering and community leadership represent the human infrastructure behind the most significant period of growth in Australian women’s football history.

The announcements come in the final days of Female Football Week, a ten-day national celebration that has taken on particular resonance in 2026 following a record-breaking AFC Women’s Asian Cup on Australian soil. The tournament filled stadiums, broke attendance records and generated a level of public enthusiasm for women’s football that governing bodies are now under pressure to translate into something lasting. These five recipients are among the people who will determine whether it does.

Brooke Wyatt of Trafalgar Victory FC has been named Volunteer of the Year. Her contribution was coordinating the MiniRoos, managing match days, organising club events and driving recruitment efforts that have helped the club field new junior teams. Wyatt’s work is the kind of work that keeps community football functioning without ever appearing in a match report. Wyatt has also been central to strengthening Trafalgar’s women’s program, building the welcoming environment that determines whether female players feel the club was built with them in mind.

Karishma Wijeyesinghe of Victoria Park FC has been recognised as Community Champion of the Year. Serving simultaneously as Senior Women’s Liaison Officer, voting committee member and club captain while maintaining a demanding professional career, Wijeyesinghe has built the women’s program infrastructure that clubs across the country require. Her presence at the decision-making table at Victoria Park is precisely the kind of representation that shapes whether female players feel the game is for them from the moment they walk through the door.

The cost of showing up

Chelsea Phillips of Mt Eliza SC has been named Player of the Year in a recognition that goes well beyond her captaincy of one of the club’s most successful Under-18 groups. Over the past year, Phillips faced a serious neurological health condition that temporarily affected her vision and mobility. She continued attending training and matches throughout, supporting teammates from the sidelines and maintaining a leadership presence during a period when most people would have stepped away entirely. Her club has described the impact on those around her as profound; a reminder that what players model for each other in difficult moments shapes the culture of a program far more than results alone.

Hannah Riess has been named Referee of the Year for her rapid progression to NPL Women’s Under-20 officiating level and her active mentorship of emerging referees across Gippsland. Female referees remain significantly underrepresented at every level of the game in Australia. The pipeline that will change that is built by people like Riess, those experienced enough to progress, invested enough to bring others with them rather than simply move ahead alone.

Building the pipeline that sustains the boom

Natasha Groves of Darebin Falcons has been recognised as Coach of the Year for her work across junior, senior and women’s social football programs, including her delivery of Football Victoria’s PlayHER initiative and her completion of advanced coaching accreditation. Groves has consistently created environments at Darebin where women and girls new to the game feel genuinely welcome, addressing the retention challenge that sits directly behind every participation surge the women’s game generates.

Taken together the five recipients illustrate something the attendance figures from the AFC Women’s Asian Cup cannot. Record crowds are the visible outcome of decades of invisible work, by volunteers, coaches, referees and community builders who showed up long before the cameras did, and who will still be there long after the tournament has moved on.

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