If it seems to you like the Matildas are everywhere, it’s because they are.
This morning, during my short walk to get coffee, it felt like the city was buzzing with a shared excitement. It’s not even the day of the game and yet I saw two people wearing Matildas scarves, and my barista was sporting lovely, newly bleached hair – along with a Matildas jersey. I’m not sure if the hair was also in honour of the team, but I hope so because it’s either that or a breakup.
Next time they’re deciding where to invest money, remind them of 10.30pm on this winter’s Monday night in Melbourne. 💙🇦🇺 #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/nq0uq6On7e
— Adriano Del Monte (@adriandelmonte) August 7, 2023
Support for the tournament has been overwhelming, with games selling strongly. Lots of pubs are showing the games, but it’s almost impossible to get a table anywhere (in Sydney at least). Matildas jerseys are flying off the shelves, reportedly outselling the Socceroos two-to-one. The game against Denmark broke Australian TV records and rated higher than most NRL and AFL Grand Finals since 2016. In a rare move, Channel 7 has announced it will be pushing back news bulletins in order to play the Matildas game against France on Saturday.
As a longtime women’s sport fan and women’s football fan, this feels unfamiliar and exciting, like going to a different Bunnings. It’s an incredible shift.
A friend messaged me recently to say that a group of 14-year-old boys were sitting near her on the train, simply talking about how good Sam Kerr is. She also said they were sharing one big slurpee, which isn’t relevant but is funny. There are lots of stories out there like this:
I know this is a paternalistic view of women's footy but when Foord scored that goal an old bloke at the pub sitting alone yelled out to no one "Mary Fowler you superstar!" and I just can't imagine that 10 years ago
— Dave (@Mesut_Ausil) August 7, 2023
This is not about the game needing to be validated by men, which it doesn’t, but it feels like something new is happening. I was getting a haircut last weekend when three men in the salon around me started chatting about the Cup – a cool 22-year-old going with a group of friends, a dad excited to take his two sons to a game – as natural as any conversation I’ve heard about sport, not self-conscious, or trying for my benefit.
This is the shift. After years of dogged progress, the star quality of players like Sam Kerr and the success of the Matildas at a home World Cup has all hit at the perfect time, ready to engage and influence all of us, not just those of us already on the train.
The stands have been filled with all kinds of people, most excitingly the screaming kids of all genders, wearing jerseys of their favourite female players. As someone who has been following the Matildas for a long time, it still feel surreal. I’ve spent the last three weeks in a sort of dreamlike state, feeling strange as people at work talk about “the game last night’’, and they mean one that women played.
About five years ago or so, I would be one of 5,000 people at a Matildas game, out at some terrible stadium where we were unable to buy Matildas merchandise because it didn’t exist. Now I can’t get a ticket for a game they are playing in front of 75 THOUSAND screaming fans. Not only are my sports-loving friends excited about the Matildas, my non-sporty gay friends are watching it with the same excitement as they watch Drag Race, and my non-sporty queer femme friends are watching sport for the first time since we’ve met. It’s essentially a miracle, seeing people start to treat female athletes and teams as equal to their male counterparts, not just because it’s the right thing to do but because the sport they play is equally enjoyable.
What’s standing in the way of that being the norm for all women’s sport is the unequal way female athletes and teams have been treated for … well, always, and the men who can’t seem to let them exist without getting triggered. In the past I have explained all the reasons why these sexist men are being unfair and stupid and should change their minds, but the support everyone across the country has thrown behind the Matildas has shown me that we don’t have to waste our time. There are plenty of people ready to get onboard.
We are together witnessing the skill these players have, the way the female game is more about toughness and tenacity, the sportsmanship they display. I think more and more people are understanding the great vibes that come with women’s sport, where there is much less toxicity, where you (largely) don’t have to ignore a whole lot of bad behaviour off-field in order to enjoy what’s going on in the game.
There are heartwarming stories coming out of the tournament, and the crowds are joyous and friendly. People love our Matildas players, they love their attitude and, this is still amazing to me – they even know their names! It’s no longer a niche skill to be able to impress/bore a lesbian at a party by listing off the names of Australian women football players, and I couldn’t be happier about it.
The entire World Cup has just been a joyful time, and it’s thrilling to be able to share these times with LOTS of people. Yes, there is also a very slight tinge of annoyance, as often comes with something you love getting popular, mostly directed at male celebrities and rich overlords taking the best seats at the games without ever having given a second thought to women’s sport before. This was most satisfyingly put into words by Emily Gielnik, who has represented Australia 54 times and who, when talking about her phone blowing up with people asking her for tickets, said, “If you didn’t ask me in the last 10 years, you’re probably not getting one on Saturday”. But the minor annoyances are a very small price to pay for the delights.
It’s been really extraordinary to see this rise happen, and there have been a lot of women working behind the scenes in women’s football in this country to help get us here. The players themselves have endured years of unequal treatment, of disrespect, of blatant sexism, to continue to play the game they love. They have withstood the immense pressure in order to make it this far, all with an amazing attitude and making adorable videos. They deserve our support during the tournament, but they also deserve for that support to continue, even if they don’t win.
It doesn’t have to stop when the World Cup is over. Look at what can happen when people have the opportunity and the encouragement to treat female athletes with the respect they deserve. Look at all the nice things and the trickle-down effect that it has when women are centred equally, supported financially and emotionally, and allowed to flourish. It doesn’t matter to me if the Matildas don’t win this whole thing, the journey so far has been reward enough. As long as England also lose.
• Rebecca Shaw is a writer based in Sydney
