The Matildas’ remarkable ascent in the Australian sporting landscape is a story of sustained dedication, growing public support, and a persistent battle for recognition. While the recent Women’s Asian Cup has seen record-breaking crowds, it’s important to contextualise this surge against a backdrop of decades of effort. Even a seemingly lower attendance of 35,170 for the semi-final against China at Perth Stadium was met with surprise, a testament to how accustomed we’ve become to the Matildas commanding sell-out venues. This demonstrates a shift in perception, where anything less than a full house now feels like a slight, regardless of external factors like a Tuesday evening kick-off, the competition’s stature, or even its start time.
The sheer numbers speak volumes. For comparison, the average attendance for most NRL teams over the past 30 years has been significantly lower than this “underwhelming” Matildas figure. While it’s true that records cannot be broken indefinitely due to stadium capacities, the ongoing success of the Matildas is undeniable. Talk of “Matildas Fever” potentially waning before the Asian Cup was understandable but ultimately misplaced, as evidenced by the more than 60,000 tickets already snapped up for the final against Japan at Stadium Australia. This highlights football’s constant struggle to carve out its space amidst a crowded Australian sporting scene.
The Socceroos paved the way with their impressive runs in the 2006 World Cup and their 2015 Asian Cup victory. However, the Matildas have shouldered the additional burden of representing not just a sport, but an entire gender. The 2023 World Cup on home soil undoubtedly marked the pinnacle of global interest, but the sustained captivation that has followed, even if not every friendly has sold out, is nothing short of extraordinary.
Sarah Walsh, a former Matilda and Chief Operating Officer for the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup Local Organising Committee, wisely points out the danger of solely measuring success by full stadiums. “That’s not applied to men’s sport; it never is and it never has been,” she states, emphasizing the need for the Matildas to be the rule, not the exception. The disparity is stark when compared to other major sporting events. The 2017 Rugby League World Cup, for instance, saw its largest crowd of 40,033 for the final at Lang Park, with only two other matches exceeding 25,000 attendees. Just a few years ago, a crowd of 35,000 would have been a remarkable figure for an entire Women’s Asian Cup tournament, not a single semi-final.
The Dawn of a New Era: The 2006 Asian Cup
The journey of the Matildas truly began to accelerate with their participation in the 15th edition of the Women’s Asian Cup in July 2006. After years of dominance in Oceania, this tournament marked their debut as full members of the Asian Football Confederation. Collette McCallum, a fresh face in the 2006 squad, reflects on this pivotal moment. “If we stayed in Oceania I don’t think as a team we would have progressed as what we’ve done in Asia,” she explains. The move to Asia meant consistently facing formidable opponents like Japan, South Korea, North Korea, and China – teams that were already established on the international stage. While challenging, this constant competition was instrumental in the team’s development.
Entering the 2006 tournament ranked 15th in the world, and fourth in Asia behind North Korea, China, and Japan, the Matildas were up against it. Unsurprisingly, the top Asian nations dominated, reaching the semi-finals with an overwhelming goal difference. Fast forward to the current Asian Cup, and the Matildas have traversed three cities, playing across four stadiums with a combined capacity of around 190,000. Their official attendance figures for this tournament have already shattered previous records, standing at an impressive 178,692, with over 60,000 more expected for the final.
Contrast this with the 2006 edition, where Australia’s six matches, held at Hindmarsh Stadium and Marden Sports Complex, drew a total of approximately 18,500 attendees. Many of these crowd figures from two decades ago were notably rounded, suggesting a less precise record-keeping approach. The 2006 final, played against China, saw a crowd of 5,168 at Hindmarsh Stadium (though the official AFC summary states 5,000).
Goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri recalls that final with a sense of bewilderment. “I really felt like it was rent-a-crowd at that moment,” she admits. “I felt like we had a lot of people there supporting the game: ‘There’s something happening in our backyard, let’s go watch.'” The sentiment today, however, is markedly different. “But this time it’s almost like: ‘I need to go to watch, I need to support these women, I know these women, I know what they have to go through, I know who they play for.’ I feel like that’s the difference.” Barbieri elaborates on the profound connection: “We as Matildas haven’t really changed over the years, [but] everybody’s access to us has grown and the more you get to know us the more proud you’ll be, and that’s the connection we have as Matildas to our fans that probably no other sport can attain.”
While the roar of the crowd can be a powerful motivator, as seen with Sam Kerr and her teammates often rallying their supporters, McCallum notes the contrasting pressures of playing in front of vast audiences. “When you’re in the game and whistles [blows] you don’t think about the crowd, you’re kind of in the moment and just playing, but a crowd can be massive as well,” she says. “It was nice because you just got your head down and played, but when you have a bit of a crowd there the nerves do kick in a bit more, you feel there is a bit more pressure as a player.” The 2006 final, played in front of a smaller, more intimate crowd, offered a sense of playing “for the love of it.” “It is a difference when you do have 400 in attendance, it kind of feels like a training match and you’re just there to play; whereas if you do get a crowd there is a bit more pressure and demands, especially here in Australia, that you’ve got to win.”
A Heartbreaking Final: The 2006 Showdown
The 2006 final against the then seven-time champions, China, was a rollercoaster of emotions. Goalkeeper Barbieri was instrumental in the early stages, and a stunning 30-metre strike from Caitlin Muñoz, which hit the woodwork before going in, gave the Matildas a deserved lead just before the half-hour mark. Jo Peters extended the advantage with a header from a corner, and at halftime, the Matildas held a commanding 2-0 lead, mirroring their semi-final performance against Japan.
However, the second half saw a dramatic turnaround. In a five-minute blitz, China’s Duan Han and Xiaoxu Ma levelled the score at 2-2, forcing the match into extra time. For a grueling hour, the score remained deadlocked. China’s coach, Liangxing Ma, made a game-changing substitution, bringing on goalkeeper Yanru Zhang for the penalty shootout.
McCallum recalls the moment coach Tom Sermanni asked her to take a penalty. “I just remember [coach] Tom Sermanni coming to me and going ‘look, I want you to take a penalty’, and I just knew at that time my legs were so dead,” she recounts. “I was tired and … I didn’t have the confidence there, [but I said to myself] ‘right, he wants me to take this, I’ve got to take it.'” As she approached the penalty spot, facing the imposing Chinese keeper, McCallum experienced a change of heart. “Walking up, this was a big girl, the ‘keeper was humungous. And walking to the penalty, I just remember changing my mind, and once I’d changed my mind, that was it.” Zhang’s heroics saw her save McCallum’s penalty and Peters’ subsequent effort, while China converted all four of their spot-kicks to secure their eighth Women’s Asian Cup title. Jubilant celebrations erupted under the dim lights of Hindmarsh Stadium.
Despite the personal disappointment of missing that crucial penalty, a moment that still draws questions, McCallum views the 2006 tournament as the crucial starting point for women’s football in Australia. “Everyone was excited about that, so [the final] was just another game,” she says of the immediate aftermath. “If we won that, even better, but it was just a massive opportunity now we’re going through Asia and it was definitely going to change the way the Matildas were going to go in the future.” Their runner-up finish secured qualification for the 2007 World Cup, a significant achievement on their first attempt through the Asian confederation.
The Rise of a Generation: Kerr and Co.
Four years later, in 2010, the Matildas finally tasted major silverware. While still unable to overcome China in the group stage, they exacted revenge in the final, with Kyah Simon converting the winning penalty in a shootout against North Korea to clinch their sole piece of major silverware. This victorious squad featured a burgeoning core of talent that would define the Matildas for the next decade: Sam Kerr, Emily van Egmond, Clare Polkinghorne, Kyah Simon, Tameka Yallop (then Butt), Elise Kellond-Knight, and Lydia Williams.
The following year, Caitlin Foord joined the ranks for the 2011 World Cup in Germany. This tournament provided invaluable experience for seven players who would later feature in the 2023 World Cup squad, exposing them to playing in front of tens of thousands of fans. McCallum, who settled in Perth after emigrating from Scotland, had known the local talent Sam Kerr since she was 13 and played alongside her at Perth Glory. She immediately recognised the exceptional talent of Kerr and her contemporaries. “All those young ones … there was about five or six of them coming through together and you thought ‘if these girls stick together and keep playing then they’re the group that are going to change the Matildas’. And they were,” McCallum reflects. “Sammy, Caitlin, Teigen Allen, Emily van Egmond, Macca [Mackenzie Arnold], you could just see there was something special about them playing together but also individually. The fact they’ve carried on … it’s been really exciting to see the massive shift.”
Despite reaching further Asian finals in 2014 and 2018, only to suffer heartbreaking 1-0 defeats to Japan, and facing painful exits at the 2019 World Cup, 2016 and 2021 Olympics, as well as a surprise quarter-final loss in the 2022 Asian Cup, the quest for another major trophy has continued. Now, they return to the decider against familiar rivals Japan, buoyed by an emphatic 4-1 victory over South Korea, whom they drew 3-3 with in the group stage.
McCallum, still unsure how her 2010 team managed to overcome the favoured Japanese in the semi-final, offers simple advice for the current Matildas: “I just remember grafting as much as we could,” she says. “It’s tournament football so you want to play pretty football but, at the same time, if you want to win this tournament you’ve got to just mentally stick together, work hard and get the result.”
