‘Matilda Mania’: How the Matildas Have Transformed Women’s Sport

By Angela Paulson

Green and gold jumpers, scarves, and beanies could be spotted among the swarms of people that slowly trickled into Garema Place in Civic Square as kick-off neared.

On Wednesday 16 August, the Australian Women’s National Soccer Team- the Matildas- took on the England Lionesses in the semi-finals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. A record crowd of over 75,780 flocked to Stadium Australia in the Sydney Olympic Park Precinct to cheer on The Matildas.

This year’s Women’s World Cup smashed records as the most attended women’s sporting event in history with 1.7m tickets sold by August 4th. It also boasts record broadcast numbers, jersey sales, TV ratings, and streaming numbers.

The semi-final reached 11.5 million viewers on Channel 7’s broadcast alone, becoming the most-watched television program in Australia since 2001.

ANU has also been struck by the Tillies’ fever as the semi-final on Wednesday was screened at various spots on campus.

Nearly all residential halls, including Burton & Garran, Wamburun, Bruce and Yukeembruk had live screenings attended by ressies decked in the green and gold.

Alongside this, there was a live screening held by ANU at Manning Clark Hall, with the ANU Women’s Department also hosting its own screening of the match. These venues were packed with students, staff, and supporters. Popular uni pub Badger & Co. was also a hit destination on campus to watch the game.

ANU student Lucia told Observer that she has “never seen people get this excited about women’s sport before.”

Canberra also hosted various showings in Garema Place, Tiger Lane and Dendy Cinemas, alongside almost every pub and restaurant in the city who broadcasted the game to a parade of fans.

It was the first time that a women’s sporting event had gained this much mainstream traction in Australia. From Maccas advertisements to Matildas player Mary Fowler’s iconic black gloves selling out at Rebel Sport, a fever for the team has brewed among Aussies.

“There’s been a shift, [the World Cup] has made more people get into women’s sport and care about women’s sport. At ANU, the sheer amount of people who have been supporting the Matildas and [buying] the merch from regular retail stores have been insane.” stated Macy, an ANU Student who watched the match at Manning Clarke Hall.

CEO of Football Australia James Johnson told Al Jazeera his excitement in how Australia has embraced The Matildas. He stated that the team is “really bringing Australia [communities] together” and that through them people “feel better connected to Australia”. 

Grace, an ANU Student and participant in the ISO Soccer Competition, told Observer that,

“[The Matildas] made it more well known, in general, if you look at the crowds [last tournament] it was like 26,000 maybe, now it was… 75,000 on each ground…it’s actually insane.” 

Even though they lost their final match against England, their legacy cannot be denied. The Matildas have reaffirmed that women are also committed, competitive and ambitious about their sport. They are demanding to be taken seriously; to receive the same funds, front-page attention and opportunities that their male counterparts receive.

In a recent article by Sydney Morning Herald, Matildas’ captain Sam Kerr called for more funding,

“I can only speak for the Matildas [but], you know, we need funding in our development, we need funding in our grassroots. We need funding, you know, we need funding everywhere,” she stated. 

The Matildas have successfully dispelled the age-old complaint that ‘no one wants to watch women’s sport’ by continuously playing in sold-out arenas to record-breaking viewership and million-dollar brand deals.

However, more than any of that, their legacy will be seen in the millions of girls and boys around Australia that now don a green and gold jersey with Kerr’s or Fowler’s, or ‘brick-wall’ Arnold’s name written on the back. 

Graphics by Will Novak

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