Will the Matildas change the perception of Australian football forever?

Matildas vs France Women's World Cup

The Matildas’ date with destiny is fast approaching.

They play England on Wednesday, in a semi-final match up of a FIFA World Cup on our home shores.

It is Australian football’s biggest ever match, with a Matildas team that is widely adored.

If they are to go on and win the tournament, it will be one of Australian sports biggest achievements – but there is still a way to go yet.

There’s no doubt about it, the Matildas are a box office hit.

A sign brought to their Round of 16 match against Denmark by a young Australian girl in the crowd just about sums up their popularity. The sign in the stands read “I gave up Taylor Swift tickets for the Matildas”. The team have transcended sport and all metrics are through the roof.

The quarter-final clash against France drew an average of 4.17 million viewers on the Seven Network, making it one of the biggest TV events in the past two decades in Australia. This figure doesn’t include the Optus Sport viewing numbers, which will also add on quite a substantial amount.

The upcoming match against England is set to be one of the biggest TV viewing events in Australian history. It should surpass all previous events – except Cathy Freeman’s victory race in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Alongside this, Matildas’ shirts have easily outsold Socceroo’s shirts and attendances at Women’s World Cup matches continue to break record after record.

It’s a real feel-good moment for Australian football, but what also must be accounted for is what comes next.

Once the Women’s World Cup tournament finishes on the August 20 – whether the Matildas are in the final or not – perceptions must be changed at a grassroots level around the country for the sport.

All those young girls and boys watching the Matildas games in the stadium or on TV need as many opportunities as possible to play the sport they are currently invested in through the World Cup.

Whilst funding grants such as the newly built Home of the Matildas in Victoria is important for the professional side of the game, a recent announcement by Football Queensland focused on the necessity to give youngsters more opportunities to further engage in the world game.

Football Queensland announced they were awarded the lease at a new $35 million community sports complex at Nudgee.

A deal was struck between the governing body and the Brisbane City Council – with the aim of the facility to be a northern hub for community football programs.

Speaking to media, Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner stated football is experiencing an incredible take-up, particularly among women and girls, and the new headquarters will help meet demand for additional playing fields.

“Brisbane is the fastest growing capital city in Australia and it’s important that we continue to deliver the facilities our residents need to stay active and play their favourite sports,” he said.

“The incredible efforts of our Matildas and the huge crowds during the Women’s World Cup show this facility is being delivered right in time to meet the booming participation in football by women and girls.

“After attending the World Cup and watching my son play each weekend, I’m proud our Council team is playing a role in helping Football Queensland grow the game in Brisbane with this great new sport and recreation facility on the north side.”

Football Queensland CEO Robert Cavallucci explained the Nudgee facility would build vital capacity for the game as Brisbane’s and the state’s largest participation sport continues its rapid growth.

“Today’s announcement will help meet the existing pressures and demands of the 40,000 strong club-based participants in Brisbane LGA and further support the delivery of community, development, and female football programs to the more than 35,000 social players in Brisbane as part of a Metro North Football hub,” he said.

“Enabling infrastructure projects like this are key to delivering opportunities for the thousands of boys and girls who are being turned away by local clubs every season due to a lack of infrastructure to service the current demands of our ever growing game.

“I’d like to commend Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner and recognise the great work of the Brisbane City Council for acknowledging this and delivering such a critical boost to the community. Football Queensland will create more places for the local community to play football and deliver more programs to improve the football experience for participants of all ages, abilities and backgrounds.

“The success of the biggest ever FIFA Women’s World Cup currently happening in our own backyard is a reflection that Brisbane is a football city, with a huge appetite for the beautiful game.

“With the CommBank Matildas inspiring a new generation of young male and female footballers, infrastructure like this facility will ensure we can serve the next generation by meeting the infrastructure needs of today.”

Infrastructure projects and agreements with councils such as this need to become commonplace after the end of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. The game needs further investment and it has shown throughout this event it deserves it.

Participation numbers will continue to grow, especially amongst young girls – so more facilities will need to be utilised.

The Matildas have shown what Australian football can be at its best. For the next generation, it is vital for the game to influence and change decision maker perceptions at a local level.

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FIFA set new global benchmark for Women’s Football Development

In a landmark initiative for women’s football, FIFA has unveiled an ambitious strategy aimed at reaching 60 million female players worldwide by 2027.

The comprehensive plan, supported by 13 distinct development programmes, is available to all 211 FIFA Member Associations, marking a significant step forward in the sport’s global evolution.

FIFA also took the announcement to highlight the achievements for women’s football in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Oceanic Football Confederation (OFC).

The recently enhanced FIFA Women’s Development Programme underscores the organisation’s strengthened commitment to expanding the women’s game.

The upcoming 2025 calendar promises several groundbreaking developments for women’s football.

The Philippines will host the inaugural FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup, while Morocco makes history as the first African nation to stage the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

The latter tournament sees significant expansion, growing from 16 to 24 teams and shifting to an annual format.

International competition reaches new heights with continental championships scheduled across multiple confederations.

The pathway to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027 commences with African qualification matches, while major regional tournaments including the UEFA Women’s EURO and OFC Women’s Nations Cup will crown new champions.

In a significant advancement for club football, all six confederations will host their respective continental club championships for the first time.

This renewed focus comes amid unprecedented growth in participation rates, particularly evident in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup co-host nations.

New Zealand has reported a remarkable 27 per cent surge in female participation since 2022, with particularly strong growth among Māori and Pasifika communities, showing a 14 per cent increase.

A strategic partnership between New Zealand Football and Māori Football Aotearoa further strengthens grassroots development.

New Zealand Football CEO Andrew Pragnell voiced the federations successful results.

“The expansion of football and futsal in Aotearoa New Zealand has been extraordinary, with the Women’s World Cup serving as a genuine catalyst for growth,” he explained via official FIFA press release.

Across the Tasman, Football Australia’s Growing Football Fund Community Grants programme continues to foster development at the grassroots level.

The latest round of funding benefits 118 recipients, complementing the 121 projects supported in March 2024.

This initiative particularly emphasises regional development, with nearly half the grants allocated to areas outside major metropolitan centres.

The grants provide essential support for women’s football development, encompassing coach education, introductory programmes, and vital equipment procurement, further cementing the sport’s foundation at the community level.

Also within the AFC, footballing powerhouse Japan has successfully hosted the continent’s first female-exclusive Pro Licence coaching course.

A collaborative effort between FIFA, AFC, and the Japan Football Association (JFA), represents a significant milestone in professional football development.

The intensive seven-day course attracted participants from fourteen nations, featuring presents such as AFC Technical Director Andy Roxburgh and Japan men’s national team coach Hajime Moriyasu.

Participants gained valuable practical experience through observations of pre-season training sessions at both J.League and Nadeshiko League clubs.

JFA Technical Director Masanaga Kageyama emphasised the programme’s strategic importance and inclusivity.

“This course is a joint AFC/JFA initiative to increase the number of top-level, professionally licensed female coaches in Asia. It aims to provide existing talents with additional advice to help them achieve greater success in their current coaching positions and secure future success,” Kageyama explained via official FIFA press release.

This initiative aligns with JFA’s renowned long-term development philosophy and a significant advancement in creating pathways for women in professional football coaching.

This newly improved strategy at the global scale will hopefully allow for more women in both professional and amateur spaces to get the opportunities they deserve in football.

It also highlight’s that AFC & OFC nations, including Australia, will have a strong place within the growth of women’s football.

Read more on the FIFA Women’s Development Program here.

Tom Sermanni- Leading the Matildas in the Right Direction

In September 2024, former Matilda’s and journeyman coach, Tom Sermanni, was quietly going about his business coaching in the women’s program at Western Sydney Wanderers.

The last thing he expected was to receive an offer from the F.A. to become the interim manager for the Matildas.

However, Sermanni reflected on his previous stints with the Matildas from 1994-97 and 2005-12 with a great sense of pride and didn’t hesitate to accept the offer.

After five months in the job, Sermanni and assistant coach Jean-Paul de Marigny have methodically restored confidence in the squad after the disappointment of not qualifying for the quarter finals at the Paris Olympics.

It was certainly a far cry from Sermanni’s previous stints in 1994-97 when players weren’t paid and had to cover their own expenses and 2005-12 when contracts were introduced for the players.

Notably, Sermanni is aware of the strong brand the Matildas carry in Australian sport and every time they venture onto the pitch, there is a weight of expectation for them to perform.

In this interview with Roger Sleeman, Tom Sermanni discusses his progress with the Matildas since September 2024 and the general state of the women’s game in Australia.

ROGER SLEEMAN

What was your mindset when you were offered the job after your last stint with the Matildas in 2005-12?

TOM SERMANNI

Surprise was my first reaction as it came completely out of the blue

I’d actually reached the stage where I wasn’t searching for a career but winding down.

However, it was a compliment to be still considered for coaching at this level.

R.S.

How long did it take you to accept the offer?

T.S.

Only a few minutes because it was a no brainer after I contemplated what was involved.

Photo: Kyoko Kurihara – Football Australia

R.S.

Based on the Matilda’s performance at the Paris Olympics, what areas were you going to concentrate on?

T.S.

I was actually at the U.S.A. and Zambia games which was useful and I also knew a number of players in the squad.

Initially, I wanted to maintain stability because when a tournament doesn’t yield results, there are inquisitions and uncertainty.

Therefore, the lack of confidence had to be restored.

R.S.

What has been your main focus since you commenced the position?

T.S.

When we first assembled for the first match in Switzerland, I outlined the expectations for the team and myself.

I wanted to get back to the way Australian teams play on the front foot and to reassure the players there was a lot of ability in the squad , despite the disappointment of the Olympic’s result.

We needed to establish goals for the players to achieve and winning was critical.

Rebuilding belief, confidence and spirit was essential to achieving this outcome.

R.S.

What were your conclusions after the Switzerland and German clashes in October?

T.S.

There were signs of missing confidence and cohesion in the Swiss clash but against Germany it was a great 2-1 victory and defied our 15th ranking in the world standings.

R.S.

Against Brazil, how did you rate the team’s performance?

T.S.

Both games were probably the most brutally physical I’d ever witnessed in the women’s game.

Also ,the Brazilians were very direct and unfortunately in the first game in Sydney, the referee didn’t control the game well enough.

In the second game on the Gold Coast this was rectified somewhat .

Critically, the games were a great benchmark to assess our status with the top five teams in the world.

R.S.

Are we technically adept to match the top teams?

T.S.

If you look at Caitlin Foord, Steph Catley, Mary Fowler and Kyra- Cooney Cross, we have players who rate technically with the best.

Also, we have players spread across the best Leagues in the world.

Nevertheless, at the development level we need to advance players at a technical level, rather than implementing systems which restrict individual development.

Photo: Kyoko Kurihara – Football Australia

R.S.

Are the senior players performing to their best?

T.S.

I believe in the matches so far they have and are still our most consistent performers.

Don’t forget, despite the Paris Olympics failure, we did qualify for the semi finals of the previous Olympics and the 2023 World Cup.

R.S.

Is it time to blood young players in the squad, and what is your general opinion of the talent scouting process employed to unearth new players?

T.S.

If I’d come in as a new coach for the next campaign, rather than an interim coach, things may have been different.

I emphasise again my role is to instigate stability in an effective way and my successor in a permanent role will decide where the squad will go forward from there.

For me , the role is to plan for the present and the future so it’s a balancing act.

In the modern game it’s difficult because you don’t get enough time with the players who are mainly based overseas.

This is in contrast with my last stint with the Matildas when most of the players were home based so we had complete access to them for local camps .

Importantly, this allowed us to develop players within the team structure.

It’s getting harder to bring in new players because of the time limits you have to work with them.

Obviously, you’re continuing to strengthen your squad by bringing new players in but moving forward the new coach has to reassess the current squad and also be mindful of other players to be given an opportunity to see if they are better than the current players.

Naturally, there will be a turnover of the squad due to ageing of senior players so we have to provide a better way of bringing younger players through.

With the huge increase in playing numbers in women’s football , there should be a lot of new talent coming through the system to be considered for Matilda selection.

Unfortunately ,there hasn’t been an organised plan since the Institutes fell by the wayside and resources aren’t being committed to a cohesive system.

R.S.

How important is Mary Fowler to the squad?

T.S

She is critical because she has that X-factor and those qualities to become a superstar.

Some of the senior players are now at their peak in their late twenties and Mary in her early twenties has the world at her feet to become a world class player.

Along with Ellie Carpenter whose workrate and football awareness are phenomenal, it should be our aim to continue unearthing such talent in the W- League.

R.S.

What is your opinion of the W-League?

T.S.

Unfortunately, it’s not fully professional and it needs more resources to make it the best league it can be because at the moment it’s a development league for domestic players.

However, we need as many young players to be competing in the League and over time it would be ideal for overseas players to come back to the League to contribute to its progress.

However, the League is certainly a great place for supplying national youth team players.

Photo: Kyoko Kurihara – Football Australia

R.S.

Can you tell us more about the She Believes Cup, the Matildas are competing in the U.S. from February 19-27 against U.S.A., Japan and Colombia?

T.S.

It’s a proper, competitive tournament, not a series of friendlies so there is a great incentive to win.

We play the first game and then travel to two other cities to play so there’s limited time for preparation.

Clearly, it’s an important tournament to play serious opposition with different styles on show and for players to maintain their place or for new players to emerge.

R.S.

After your interim role ends, would you like to be still involved with the Matildas in some way?

T.S.

If there was a role for me which was suitable I certainly would take it because I’m really enjoying the current position.

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