On the first day of June in 1988, 11 Australian women walked out onto a scrappy football pitch in the Chinese city of Jiangmen.
The air was oppressively hot and sticky with humidity; a normal southern Chinese summer. Thousands of locals in cotton shirts and wide-brimmed hats lined the shallow stands, as curious about Westerners as they were about the sport itself. Many of them were school children who shrieked with delight at every strong tackle or big header.
The game itself ebbed and flowed, but ended in a way few expected. The plucky newcomers Australia defeated the myth and might of Brazil thanks to an audacious chip by striker Janine Riddington. Their first FIFA tournament, their first match, their first win. History.
Over a quarter of a million people showed up across that seven-day tournament, proving to FIFA that there was a growing appetite for women's football. The first official Women's World Cup was held three years later.
It was a game and a moment that former Matildas vice-captain Moya Dodd recalls with pride at a small gathering at Valentine Sports Park in Sydney's west.
She remembers being nervous, of course, but more than that, she remembers the sense of occasion. Finally, there they were. And by god, they wanted to put on a show.
"That was the first time FIFA had actually bothered to hold a women's tournament, and Australia were invited," Dodd tells the hushed conference room.
"I remember that time so clearly because I was actually the last player in the squad. I wasn't picked, but then someone got injured. So I was the worst player there.
Standing beside Dodd is inaugural Matildas captain and cap number one Julie Dolan, a force of history herself, and Rae Dower, Football Australia's first women's football technical adviser.
And in front of these pioneers, 12 women in matching green-and-grey tracksuits sit listening, captivated by the Matildas' story and struck by the realisation that they, too, are about to embark on their own history-making moment.
The five-a-side round-robin tournament will see Australia face some of football's powerhouse nations including the USA, Japan, Spain and the Netherlands across 10 days.
Although the first CP world ahampionships were held in Denmark back in 1985, it wasn't until this year that female athletes were invited to take part.
"Moya referred to it as being historic — but it's actually herstoric," Dower says.
"This is a herstoric moment. The first ParaMatildas team. The first World Cup for women's CP football.
"But you've also got 43 years of the Matildas. We're there with you every step of the way.
"Take the opportunity to enjoy every single moment. Smile. Breathe. And just go: 'Wow, look at us.'"
Dolan smiles.
"You're an inspiration to all of us," she says.
"And you'll still be an inspiration to all of us, no matter what happens."
You can't be what you can't see
Rae Anderson knows how it feels to create "herstory".
The 25-year-old from Wamberal in New South Wales is one of just seven Australian para-athletes to compete at both a summer and winter Paralympics, most recently in the para-alpine skiing at the Beijing Games.
But with football as her first love, Anderson says the World Cup is something different altogether.
"Growing up, my idea of sport was all about teams, about family, about community," Anderson told ABC.
"I didn't quite process as a kid that I had cerebral palsy — and that my dreams were probably not as achievable as 12-year-old me thought.
"It wasn't until year seven that I started finding out about para-sports; as something I could watch and could aspire to be.
"Doing sports like athletics and alpine skiing, they're very individual sports. The Paralympics was a dream and something that's given me so much opportunity and experience … but to finally be part of a team like this, and going to a World Cup for soccer, that's something really special."
Anderson's own story is a testament to the power of visibility and opportunity for athletes with disability.
She remembers watching snippets of the 2012 London Paralympics on ABC television, which inspired her to pursue para-sport more seriously. She made her major tournament debut at the Commonwealth Games just two years later, competing in javelin and discus, before being selected for her first Summer Olympics in Rio.
She then switched from summer athletics to winter alpine skiing, finishing seventh and 10th in the women's slalom and giant slalom events at the Winter Paralympics earlier this year.
These days, Anderson is paying that inspiration forward through her work as a project coordinator with Disability Sports Australia and the Cerebral Palsy Sporting and Recreation Association, which runs 'come and try' sport programs for primary school-aged kids with disability.
"My whole introduction to sport has been about visibility and opportunity," she said.
"To see para-sport on tv and in the media, to see athletes with disability in marketing, to see Paralympians at the forefront of big sporting companies and brands — it's amazing.
"I definitely look up to the Pararoos. Those boys, there's something about them: it's not just about their playing ability, but their personalities and what they bring to the sport and their enthusiasm for the next generation, especially for us as the female team coming through.
But it's not just kids who Anderson and her ParaMatildas teammates are inspiring. It's their own coaches, as well.
"Every day I'm with these amazing players, I learn something new," inaugural ParaMatildas head coach Kelly Stirton said.
"The passion they have is infectious. It's life skills, it's resilience, it's that never-say-die attitude that they bring; the undefeated attitude the Pararoos and the ParaMatildas have.
"It's always about the athletes for me. They bring so much pride and joy to my life; without them, I wouldn't be here. I don't see myself as a mainstream coach, I see myself as an all-abilities coach, because that's where my passion lies.
"I can make a difference with these girls and they can make a difference for the world."
Stirton began as a game development coordinator for Capital Football, working mostly with powerchair athletes, before becoming the first woman to coach a team at the CP national championships back in 2019.
That's where she met many of the players now called into the ParaMatildas team, as well as the all-woman coaching staff who will accompany her to Spain.
She believes creating programs and pathways for athletes with disability at the grassroots and community level is crucial for the Australian game to grow, particularly off the back of next year's Women's World Cup on home soil.
"Pathways is the future of football. We wouldn't have any of this without those programs. Continuing to build those is really important," she said.
"Because football is football, you know? It shouldn't be based on gender or age or ability. It's a game that brings everyone together.
"For young athletes out there who may be in different sports but have a passion for football, yet they haven't had the chance or didn't know there was a pathway, they can now see these two teams at a CP World Cup. That's so exciting for our game."
With their eyes now turned firmly to Spain, Stirton said the team's biggest success would not necessarily be the numbers on the scoreboard.
"I think our first World Cup is all about overcoming our challenges, overcoming our fears, overcoming our anxieties of what we can achieve.
"I just want to see these girls on the pitch, enjoying their football. This is a sport that we need to enjoy; there are so many bad things happening in the world at the moment, let's try and look at the good things.
"Results should matter in a World Cup, but being the first one for these girls, taking the pressure off them and letting them enjoy it is the main thing."
For Anderson, while she shares the drive of her teammates to come home with a medal, she knows that — just like that 1988 FIFA tournament — the biggest success will be felt long after the first one is over.
Herstory, after all, starts small. It starts with pioneers like them.
"I know the girls want to do well so badly, but we haven't seen ourselves in World Cups yet. We haven't even played as a team yet," she said, laughing.
"I'm already so proud. Proud of these girls and proud of everyone who's got us here. Being able to back this up after Beijing is a dream for me, but to do it with this group is something I'll never forget.
"I hope that we can be for other girls what so many athletes with disability have been for us."
You can watch all the ParaMatildas games live and free on the MyFootball Youtube Channel.
Match schedule:
Australia v Netherlands
Date: Wednesday, May 11, 2022
Venue: Futbol Salou Field 8
Kick-Off: 12:45pm CEST / 8:45pm AET
Australia v Japan
Date: Friday, May 13, 2022
Venue: Futbol Salou Field 8
Kick-Off: 9:45am CEST / 5:45pm AET
Australia v Spain
Date: Saturday, May 14, 2022
Venue: Futbol Salou Field 8
Kick-Off: 12:45pm CEST / 8:45pm AET
Australia v United States of America
Date: Sunday, May 15, 2022
Venue: Futbol Salou Field 8
Kick-Off: 12:45pm CEST / 8:45pm AET
