Matildas reveal what needs to happen next so momentum from Women's World Cup isn't lost
A number of current and former players have spoken out about the state of women's football.
Over a year after the Women's World Cup hit Aussie and Kiwi shores, it's clear that the event has changed the face of women's football in this country. Matildas players are now household names (Mary Fowler even scored herself a Barbie replica), and the Liberty A-League attendance numbers more than doubled between the 2022-23 season and 2023-24.
In late August, Aussie football fans welcomed the arrival of the first Perth International Football Cup, which saw teams from the Women's Super League and the French Division - Manchester City, West Ham United, Leicester City, and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) - compete at HBF Park in front of buzzing local crowds.
The event provided an opportunity for some of the Matildas in attendance to reflect on the shift they've seen in women's football post-World Cup, and what more is needed if we want to bring the sport to the next level in Australia. "It's really nice being here," Mary Fowler shared to attendees of a Women in Football lunch at Crown Towers, Perth.
"Coming back to Australia with the national team is always so fun, and seeing people get around us is really cool. So to have the opportunity to do that with Man City is really cool, and I feel fortunate to be able to have that."
Fowler, who has been playing with Manchester City since 2022 also touched on the beauty of playing world-class football in Australian stadiums. "I think all of us Aussies always go to Europe and play over there for the standards of football," she said. "So it's really nice to get the chance to showcase that on home soil."
Katrina Gorry, who played in the Perth International Football Cup with West Ham United, shared Fowler's sentiment. "It's hard to put into words. I don't think we ever thought we would have hosted a World Cup to start off with, but…I think every time we come back here, people are still talking about the games," she said.
"It's pretty special to be a part of such a huge movement in women's football in Australia, and to reflect on that is something special. And now to be back here with West Ham, it's amazing. I never thought that our club would travel over here - I thought (manager) Rehanne (Skinner) was joking when she first said it. So, to now be here and to finally get out on the pitch, I'm so excited. I can't wait."
Former Matildas players reveal what needs to happen next
Other Matildas who stepped out onto the pitch for the event included Courtney Nevin of Leicester City and Alanna Kennedy of Manchester City. Touching on what's next for the Matildas, and women's football in Australia as a whole, former Matildas captain and Melbourne City goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri offered some sage reflections at the Women in Football lunch.
"For a start, when I first started in the national team, I certainly wouldn't have seen a backdrop with so many supporting partners on it," she said. "So, I think it's a little bit of a shock for me, not only because it's been a long time coming - I've been screaming from the rafters for a very, very long time. I'm such a pain for people all these years, but I'm so glad that everyone's been able to get on board."
Barbieri, who attended the tournament as an ambassador for Ninja, stressed that this financial injection has the potential to affect massive change for the sport. "That will just generate so much more wealth for our game," she continued. "The resources…it will filter down, the people will respond, and then it will just get more bums on seats. And then the game will flourish because of it."
Former Perth Glory player Natasha Rigby also spoke on the Women in Football panel, highlighting that the secret sauce about moving the game forward in Australia is about attracting people to the sport, but she added: "[It's] also about retaining them as well. So, ensuring that we've got women in role model positions, as coaches, as referees. In positions of governance, and that girls have equal opportunity to play - so, female-friendly facilities...and those positive experiences that are going to keep them playing in the game."
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The next chapter for women's football in Australia, according to these women who've lived and breathed the sport for years, boils down to funding, resourcing and ensuring that women and girls know that playing is an option for them. "I really want to reiterate that we have to make it accessible, not only for females, but LGBTQI people [as well], Barbieri added.
"They need a safe space and access to everything that you want as a footballer. I want to make sure that if somebody looks at me as a 44-year-old mother who's been playing for 27 years professionally, they don't think they can't do it. I want them to know that it's accessible."
