Matildas Mania

FIFA Woman’s World Cup soccer was all the rage here in August. Australia and New Zealand co-hosted the event bringing 32 nations together to compete on the international stage. When this event was first announced we knew we wanted to be a part of it. With tickets selling fast, we luckily got ours for the bronze medal final in Brisbane. With not knowing who was going to make it that far, we were hoping to see Canada, Australia or Netherlands perhaps. It was so exciting to watch how this tournament would unfold.

But first, another event with sold out crowds was Yeppoon’s Village Festival! This year’s festival was an expansive 10-day program of music and visual arts. It also had new events such as Jazz & Shiraz, Blues by the Beach, a bush doof and a busking competition. We enjoyed a couple of the events during the week that included some fine food, beverages and social afternoon with friends.

Now back to the soccer… with the FIFA draws complete and the group stages underway, we quickly realized it would be impossible to see Canada and Australia in the finals together as they were drawn in the same group.  Inevitably, they played each other in this group stage and (as reported) Australia “thrashed” Canada 4-0. Fortunately for us, we hold both passports and could ride the fence on who won this game (sorry, not sorry!). This game set records with TV broadcasting and fan attendance as the Matildas came out firing 3 goals in net and the final goal, a penalty shot as a result of a tripping foul by Canada in the penalty area. It was brutal loss of Canada’s Olympic gold team but an incredible boost of confidence for the Matildas!

After this game, the country was buzzing on Matilda Mania as the team progressed into the final 16. The excitement in the air reminded me of Maple Leaf fans “bringing home the cup” after barely getting to the first-round of playoffs, only this soccer team could actually have a chance of winning this tournament!  Next up they beat Denmark 2-0 and then a grueling quarter final match with France that went to the longest penalty shootout in world cup history with the Matildas finally winning 7-6. This win brought them to the final four and it was now down to Spain versus Sweeden and Australia versus England. At this stage, England proved to be too tough and Australia lost 3-1, however this meant we were off to Brisbane to see the Matildas play for the bronze medal match. Incredible!

So, Brissy here we come!  We had planned our stay so we could see the bronze medal match live on Saturday and the final match in the FIFA village on Sunday. There was an entire part of South Bank dedicated to FIFA Women’s World Cup with several big screens to watch the matches, live music during the day and pop-up food venders.  A great atmosphere to catch all the games for whatever nation you were supporting.

It was Saturday game night and time to see Australia versus Sweeden.  We got to the stadium early to buy some Matildas merch, only to find out that they had sold out of jerseys, shirts, scarves and the lot long before FIFA came to town. Unbelievable!  That’s ok, we had our generic green shirts on and some great lower seats on a corner post. 

It was so loud when the Matildas took the field for game time and even louder with shrieks of little girls (and boys) when our captain Sam Kerr touched the ball during play. The crowd was completely into this game, complete with the ‘Mexican Wave’ as described by our famous broadcaster Bruce McAvaney!

It wasn’t long before Sweeden got their first goal due to a penalty shot as a result of a tripping foul by Australia in the penalty area.  (Sound familiar? Maybe this was payback from the Australia versus Canada game?)  You could see both teams wanted this bronze medal so badly and at the same time, the players on both teams were exhausted. The two players that stood out in this game were the goal keepers, Mackenzie “Brick Wall” Arnold from Australia and Zecira “The Moose” Musovic of Sweeden. It was an incredible show of athleticism with both saving 12 goals each. However, later in the match Australia conceded another goal and Sweeden took home the bronze medal winning 2-0.

Although the Matildas couldn’t pull off a win, the crowd was there with them all the way. A fourth place finish was nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, quite the opposite, it’s the best finish in Matildas history.  Good on’ya girls!  After the medal ceremony was done, and the Matildas took their final lap of honour around the perimeter, one by one they began to dismantle themselves and hand objects off to those fans who’d stayed behind.

So, while the Matildas may feel like they came away from this tournament with no medals to show for it, what they came away with is a new reputation on the international stage and most of all, the heart of an entire nation in their hands. Go Matildas!

Here’s some interesting record-breaking facts in women’s soccer:

• The Australia versus France quarter final game had the longest shootout in World Cup history
• This World Cup was the most attended women’s sporting event in history. A total of 1.7 million fans attended the first 60 matches.
• The largest attendance was Australia’s opener, where 75,784 saw the Matildas’ victory over Ireland
• The Matildas’ jerseys for this Women’s World Cup are outselling the Men’s Socceroos’ jersey from the Men’s World Cup in Qatar two to one.
• The Matildas Monday night’s victory over Canada was the most watched program on TV with a national broadcast reach of over 5.32 million Australians
• Matildas have broken TV ratings records, beating AFL men’s rugby grand final (that’s a super big deal here in Australia!)

It was exciting to be part of the Matildas journey this year and to see women’s sport reach such amazing heights! And of course, we’ll always find an excuse for sneaky little trip to Brisbane and our favourite pub. Until next time everyone!