There’s an enormous buzz around the Matildas as they prepare for a quarter-final showdown with France, but the host nation will have to win without its most recent scorer at this phase of a World Cup.
That player would be Ellyse Perry, who is thrilled by how far women’s football has come in the time since she curled a stunning left-footed strike past Sweden’s keeper at the 2011 World Cup in Germany.
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An expected record television audience will be tuning in as Australia attempts to move beyond the quarter-finals for the first time in Brisbane on Saturday, and Perry says the hype around the tournament and the Matildas’ ability to rise to the occasion have been “amazing to watch”.
“Just as a fan of the Matildas, I have a huge sense of excitement like the rest of the country to see what the girls have done, for not only their team but just for women’s sport,” Perry said.
“It’s just been a phenomenal tournament – I don’t think we’ve seen anything like this, and not just the Matildas but every other team involved in the competition – the level that they’re playing at, the style that they’re playing at – the entertainment they’ve given all of us has just been amazing to watch.”
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Perry, who was capped 16 times for the Matildas as a defender before she had to give football away in 2016 due to increasing cricket commitments, said changing societal attitudes had helped women’s sport reach this point, which she hoped would become the new norm.
“I think it’s been a really steady evolution for women’s sport for a long period of time, long before I was involved in the sport as well,” she said.
“I think it’s also just shifted in line with general society and the real push towards equality but also just how much we value the incredible skill and endeavour of our female athletes and what they’re able to achieve.”
AFL TAKES UNPRECEDENTED MOVE AS NATION GOES MAD FOR MATILDAS
The MCG, SCG and Optus Stadium in Perth will all turn into World Cup live sites before and after they host AFL games on Saturday so fans can see the must-watch Matildas’ World Cup quarter-final against France.
Only approval from FIFA, and solving other logistic issues, is needed for the game to be streamed live on the big screen at the three venues, with the AFL giving the green light.
The three venues are set to be packed for massive AFL clashes, with Melbourne taking on Carlton at 7.30pm, a match already pushed back by five minutes after the Matildas beat Denmark in the round of 16 on Monday to progress to the quarters.
A crowd of 60,000 is expected at the MCG, but the Matildas match, which is set for a 5pm start in Brisbane, could be bumped off the big screen if extra time is required once the AFL match starts or it progresses to a penalty shootout.
The World Cup match would still be shown on TVs in bars and boxes at the ground and it will also be broadcast at the SCG, with members allowed to stay after the Sydney Swans’ game against Gold Coast has finished. Bars and food outlets will also remain open.
Ahead of the western derby between West Coast and Fremantle in Perth supporters can get to Optus Stadium early and take in the Matildas action on one of the outdoor screens, with the AFL set to start at 6.10pm local time or 8.10pm on the east coast.
The only AFL venue on Saturday where the Matildas won’t be available on the big screen is The Gabba in Brisbane, where the Lions will take on the Adelaide Crows from 4.35pm.
World Cup broadcasters Channel 7 have also made the extraordinary move to push back the 6pm bulletin to accommodate the finish of the Matildas game.
League officials were widely criticised last year when they released the 2023 fixture on the same morning as the Socceroos were playing Argentina in a knockout match at the World Cup in Qatar.