First round of the Liberty A-League was first major test of the Women’s World Cup legacy and the answer was resounding
For a few weeks we’ve wondered about a new dawn. Crossed our fingers, hoped that the World Cup would ultimately prove to be an earthquake, not a one-off tremor.
The Matildas had made a dramatic run to the semi-finals in front of television audiences that reached over ten million people. A Hannah Wilkinson goal had given the Football Ferns their first ever World Cup win. The football communities across the Tasman wondered what this new post-World Cup world would look like.
We have the answer. That new age came to light on Saturday.
More than 26,000 fans. Records broken. Under stadium lights, in glorious sunshine, and through bracing rain. This weekend, a celebration of women’s football by the A-Leagues, was the first real test of the legacy of the Women’s World Cup. It passed with flying colours.
On Sunday in Melbourne, more than 90 minutes before kick off for Melbourne Victory at home to Brisbane Roar, the queues at the Home of the Matildas were banking up. There were two lines – one for members, and the other for general admission – already snaking well beyond the gate. Fans were desperate to ensure that they were not locked out of being able to see their Victory team for the first time in the 2023/24 season.
When the gates opened, they came flooding in. There was an announcement 45 minutes before kick-off that the two main carparks were full. General admission seating was bursting at the seams, fans forced to brave adverse weather to take up their positions on the hill opposite the grandstand.
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As the game wore on, the crowd made their voices heard. A disallowed goal in the second half from American forward McKenzie Weinert sent them into raptures, and then dismay. They were parochial – the game was in Melbourne, after all – and they were loud as Ella O’Grady gave them a brief glimmer of hope in stoppage time. They stuck around, too, ignoring the rain as they waited to get a glimpse of their heroes.
Take 35-year-old Em, a long-time fan of the A-League Women. Originally from Queensland, she was supporting the Brisbane Roar in Melbourne, but she revelled in the atmosphere created by Victory fans.
“I enjoyed coming to a bigger, better equipped facility to see some elite women’s football,” she explained. “I loved that there were so many more supporters here this season. It’s just reinvigorated my love of football.”
On the other end of the scale, six-year-old Gracie fell in love with the game during the World Cup. In fact, Olga Carmona, Spanish goalscorer in the World Cup final, gave the youngster her boot after a match. However, it was the women in navy blue that she was here to see today.
“Kayla Morrison and Lydia Williams are my favourite players,” she said.
Her favourite part of the game was “the goal” – you only need one guess as to which goal the Victory fan’ was referring.
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Over the course of round one, nascent storylines emerged on the pitch – but off the pitch, the headlines are just as big. A celebration of women’s football saw teams play at the likes of Industree Group Stadium, Allianz Stadium and Sky Stadium in front of huge crowds. It is fantastic for the players, but also for fans. The 11,000 men, women and children at the Sydney Derby – a record for a domestic women’s game in Australia – created a deafening atmosphere at Allianz Stadium.
Before the Melbourne Victory game on Sunday, Emily Gielnik spoke to the crowd about the development of the league. “We’ve got the facilities, we’ve got everything going for us [this season],” she explained.
One of the charms of the Dub over the years has been the suburban grounds allowing fans to get closer than ever to the players. The Home of the Matildas brings that vibe, while also providing quality amenities for players – it is the perfect home for the Victory to combine what makes the A-League Women great with the professionalism that the players deserve.
“The World Cup was amazing,” said Jeff Hopkins, Melbourne Victory coach. “I know how it made me feel. After coming away from some of the games, I couldn’t wait to get back, and I couldn’t wait to start working with the players. I think it’s had pretty much the same effect on the players.
“And then to come back to a new training facility and the facilities of the quality of what we’ve got there at La Trobe [the Home of the Matildas], is amazing.
“Something we try and do every year is to make real visible noticeable changes for the players when they came back. And that was obviously a massive statement for us to say – that this is what the club’s doing for us.”
Victorious Brisbane Roar coach Garrath McPherson was full of praise for the attendance.
“Look at the crowd today – in what is probably traditional Melbourne weather – but people come and watch and they’re singing songs and it’s sold out. We had 11,000 in the Sydney game yesterday. So it’s good there’s a spotlight on it and the players are learning how to deal with that.
“It’s probably the first time we’ve walked out to a women’s A-League game in the last two years where there’s been a big song going and looking behind, and the scarves… it’s great. It’s what the game deserves.”
This season will be the biggest in the history of the Liberty A-League, in every sense of the word. Twelve teams. A full home-and-away season. Membership records smashed, attendance records demolished.
Four World Cup Matildas are playing in the league this season. A host of World Cup stars from the likes of New Zealand, the Philippines, and Canada grace our shores. There are too many to name who will one day join their ranks. Perhaps 16-year-old Grace Kuilamu, who scored a rocket for Brisbane in her debut professional match. Maybe Young Matilda Kirsty Fenton, who played out of her skin in front of over 11,000 for Sydney FC.
Whatever the case, this is a truly exciting time to be a part of the A-League Women. If you missed out this week, there are 21 more rounds, plus finals, to get around your team.
This is the new world of women’s football in Australia and New Zealand. It’s looking pretty fine.
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