About 25 young girls were sitting cross legged on the grass at Perth Soccer Club on Monday afternoon, hardly able to keep still with the excitement of being coached by Matildas staff and being filmed for the evening news. They faced away from the stands, Football Australia’s technical director, Rae Dower, desperately trying to hold their attention. Because creeping up behind them were Sam Kerr, Lydia Williams and Charli Grant. The girls, incapable of keeping their gaze forward, slowly let out gasps and squeals as they realised the surprise. And sure enough, once most of them had turned around, Dower gave up and the high-pitched screaming ensued.
Everyone in the vicinity smiled at their unadulterated joy. Grant and Williams grinned right back at them, Kerr was a little more reserved. No doubt there would have still been screams had this been taking place before the Women’s World Cup. But it was undeniable that the Matildas effect flowing from that tournament had amplified them as the national team play their third and final Olympic qualifying match against Chinese Taipei in the Western Australian capital on Wednesday night.
There’s maybe only two in the Matildas squad now who can maintain any level of anonymity in public. One is Charlie Rule, brought into this camp as a train-on player and yet to make her debut, and the other is Amy Sayer. Although having shown what she is capable of against Iran, Sayer said she has gained a few thousand more Instagram followers but can still visit the supermarket undisturbed, for now.
For the rest that luxury is history. Sam Kerr has spoken about how goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold, who used to be able to fly under the radar, can’t walk down the street without being chased since her penalty shootout heroics in the quarter-final against France. Legions of young fans and their parents line the fences long after matches are finished, hoping to snag a signature or even just a glimpse of the players on the team bus.
Ellie Carpenter, who has since departed Australia to return to her club Lyon, said how motivating it was to see these games sell out outside the World Cup. Matildas vice-captain Steph Catley said the Perth fans had blown them away. “We’ve had incredible support, just around the streets everyone is interested in what we’re doing and seem like big supporters,” she said.
While the atmosphere in Perth is strengthened by the fact it’s Kerr’s home town, the reception goes beyond that. Every player’s name adorns a sign in the crowd, every name visible on the back of a shirt. They are here for this whole team and everything they bring.
But surely the bubble has to burst at some point? What if they start losing? Will the longtime supporters stay and the new recruits fade away? Maybe there is a portion of those newer fans who have already joined the rusted-on. Certainly anecdotally the lengths some supporters have gone to in order to see the Matildas in Perth suggests a new generation of diehard fans in the making.
So, maybe it doesn’t burst. If the Matildas keep winning, or at the very least look like they are fighting to, there’s every chance the ball will just keep rolling, picking up more people at every turn.
There won’t be another World Cup to host anytime soon but now that FA has announced it will not bid for the men’s 2034 World Cup, a renewed focus on trying to host the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup. First the Matildas have to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Failure to do so would be a huge disappointment for this team and its supporters. Having secured their spot in the final round of qualifying, the Matildas will play a home-and-away series in February, with the venues and opposition yet to be determined.
Catley had something to say about the stadium choice for the Australian leg of that round, putting to FA boss James Johnson that the Matildas were ready to play at the country’s biggest venue. The Melburnian said playing in front of 100,000 fans at the MCG would be amazing.
“I’m never going to say no to that,” Catley said. “James [Johnson], if you’re listening, MCG, get it done.”
The sport-mad city would surely fill the MCG and the atmosphere generated by a capacity crowd would easily make up for the intimacy lost by playing football on a vast oval stage. But a potential spanner in the works of that grand plan comes in the form of another women’s powerhouse.
Taylor Swift is playing three sold-out shows at the MCG smack bang in the middle of Fifa’s international window. The Matildas and Swift could well have a significant crossover of audience, but depending on the fixtures and the time already locked up by the Eras tour, the chance to play football in front of 100,000 could be taken off the table.
Next best would be Sydney’s Accor Stadium – it would also offer the chance for a record Matildas crowd. Just the fact that these stadiums are in the conversation shows the power Australia’s World Cup run continues to hold over the nation. If Australia can host an Asian Cup between now and the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, that feels like enough significant touch points to keep the momentum going.
You can follow live updates from the final Olympic qualifying match with the Guardian’s live blog. Kick off for Australia v Taiwan at HBF Park in Perth is 7pm local (10pm AEDT)
