Marvelous Matildas Beat Blokes on the way to the top
was the front page headline of the Daily Telegraph newspaper in Sydney on Wednesday August 9th (Aussie star player Sam Kerr was all over the back page too).
The Matildas had not only won their crucial FIFA World Cup last 16 match against Denmark on Monday evening but they had beaten EVERYONE in TV ratings, including the “blokes” (Australian for men). Meaning they had clean-sweeped every men’s sporting event in 2023 (including grand finals of major sporting codes) and this is only the last 16!
The Ball and The Ball’s team were once again able to get tickets, this time courtesy of former Matilda Captain Alicia Ferguson. Ferguson captained the team in a time when there was little recognition for women’s sport.
This time, she was in the stadium to bear witness to history in the making. The Matildas won the match on the pitch in style. Off the pitch other records were being set. In a country dominated by male sport, it was fitting that this match became the most watched TV event in 2023 – 3.5 million people tuned in to watch. Football fever has hit Australia. Stay tuned, it feels like the world’s sporting landscape is changing too, not only in Australia.
