00:08yeah I think Australia is a you know sporting nation so we're really going to embrace the
00:14women's game and hopefully take it to new height the Matildas are Australia's football team
00:23as a golden generation of talent emerged in the 2010s Australia's women's team began gathering
00:30momentum building to the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup on home soil honestly it gives me goosebumps
00:38thinking about it um you know being in our home country the the atmospheres of the game the crowds
00:44um the hype around it you know I've seen what how teams get treated at their home World Cups and
00:49I
00:50can just imagine that Australia is going to be incredible for us in the lead-up to the tournament
00:55the Matildas were playing to packed stadiums with the likes of Sam Kerr Hayley Rasso and Mary Fowler
01:02household names at home and starring for the biggest clubs overseas
01:09it is a far cry from the team's amateur origins in the 1970s and ramshackle development through
01:16the 80s when little attention was paid to women's football
01:22it wasn't until 2004 that Australia won a match at the Olympics and a further three years before they
01:28could celebrate a victory at the World Cup but since then they have grown into one of the most
01:34impressive countries in the game success at the Asian Cup in 2010 showcased the team's quality but did not
01:45lead to continued success with fourth-placed finishes at the Olympics and World Cup and two silver medals at
01:52the Asian Cup a recurring source of frustration
02:01reaching the World Cup semi-finals in 2023 was the most frustrating of all with passionate home fans behind
02:09them and the team packed full of stars Swedish coach Tony Gustafsson never overcame the handicap of losing
02:16captain Kerr to injury
02:21nonetheless the Matildas cemented their place in the hearts of a sportsman population
02:27even those that rarely gave football a second thought
02:32it was a brief glimpse into what might be for the sport in Australia but one always destined to prove
02:40a mirage
02:44Kerr remains the focal point of the side and her talent has seen her shortlisted for the game's biggest honours
02:51even featuring as the first female cover star of the FIFA video game
02:57so cool to like be a role model and inspire people and I think representation is like one of the
03:03most
03:03important things ever so I just think for me to be like with all these amazing footballers amazing clubs
03:10like I'm really proud to be a part of this journey that women's football and women's sport is going on
03:17and I think if you had told me 10 years ago I would have been a role model I probably
03:21would have got a bit
03:22nervous whereas now I think I'm older I'm more mature I really enjoy it I'm really proud to be a
03:27role
03:27model um and yeah it's something I enjoy every day like when you see young kids young kids young girls
03:33and boys um excited that are females on the FIFA cover it's yeah it's honestly a dream come true
03:41the challenge now for Australia is to convert the euphoria of the 2023 world cup into a sustainable
03:48future for women's football and ensure that a single generation of talented players does not come to
03:55define the Matildas that is no guarantee for any football nation let alone one with such scarce resources
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