The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup drove home a changing of the guard in Australia. After eleven million people tuned into the Matildas’ semi-final loss to England, it felt undeniable that this bunch was Australia’s favourite team.
There were bold proclamations around what this might do for both the beautiful game and women’s sport. The next A-League Women’s season saw record crowds early before interest waned. The Tillies kept drawing big numbers. Regardless of who they played, it was a packed house all the way up until a disastrous Paris Olympics.
Spin forward to now and as Sam Kerr, Mary Fowler and Joe Montemurro prepare to chase the AFC Asian Cup, the stakes have rarely been higher. Bizarrely, tickets have been much harder to sell. Major sponsor CommBank has been literally giving them away.
Kerr won this event age sixteen in 2010 and since then, a lot has changed for the striker and the sport. Sam has become a global superstar, learned about London taxi etiquette, become a mum and is on the way back from a crippling knee injury. World football has caught up too.
This is her and this group’s last shot to win a major trophy on home soil. It’s hard to see when they’ll next contend for another World Cup.
Winning here would again elevate the Tillies, football and women’s sport. They’re not hiding from the moment, unselected legend Kyah Simon told me on the podcast this week that not lifting the trophy is failure.
The stakes are enormous, it’s Tillie Time.
