Matildas forward Kyah Simon hopes the national women's side can ride a similar wave of support to that shown for the Socceroos in the lead up to their own World Cup later this year.
The Matildas will ramp up their World Cup preparations next month playing in a four-team Cup of Nations, which includes a double-header at McDonald Jones Stadium on Wednesday, February 22.
Newcastle is the last stop of the three-leg tournament and includes fixtures between Australia and Jamaicia and Spain and Czechia.
It will be one of the final games the Matildas play on home soil before the FIFA Women's World Cup across Australia and New Zealand begins on July 20.
Having seen the level of support the Socceroos received during the men's World Cup late last year, Simon is hopeful the Matildas can capture similar interest beginning with the Cup of Nations matches.
"That was incredible," she of the support offered for the Socceroos.
"I was in the [United Kingdom] for most of the games and then was lucky enough to be here for the back end of the tournament.
"To see the support that the whole of Australia showed throughout their campaign, I think it definitely lit a fire in our belly and got that excitement going for what's around the corner and the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2023 on home soil.
"I'm hoping that the country gets behind us just as much as they did the boys. I'm sure we'll be able to, hopefully be able to, put on a good show for the nation."
After such a successful men's World Cup campaign, Australian soccer was dealt a blow with the recent incident at an A-League Men's match in Melbourne where scores of fans ran onto the pitch.
The incident tarnished the game's image but the Matildas' fixtures ahead of and during the World Cup represent an opportunity to restore some pride in the game, on and off the field.
"These have been issues not seen in the women's game, particularly with Matildas matches," Sarah Walsh, Football Australia's head of women's football, said.
"That's something that we can absolutely guarantee, that on Wednesday the 22nd at McDonald Jones you're going to get a great family-friendly atmosphere that's action-packed. Seeing real attitude on the pitch and seeing women really unshackle gender stereotypes. They're a diverse group of women who really show young women watching, on the pitch they can be anything."
The Cup of Nations sides have been carefully selected to help the Matildas build towards the World Cup and the fixtures will serve as key opportunities for players to push for selection.
"The teams that we bring out here have been really thought through," Walsh said. "There was a performance gap a couple of years ago that really outlined the need for the Matildas to play more European teams, and top-ranked European teams.
"We brought out Sweden late last year and we brought out Spain. We need to play the best to beat the best."
Tickets for the Newcastle Cup of Nations double-header go on sale early next week.
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