16 August 2023 , 09:12
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Australia women's football team are set to face a historic semi-final aganist England for a spot in the 2023 Women's World Cup final on their home turf.
Whilst never been considered a "football country", the Aussies have come out strong in support of the Matildas. It has been so strong in fact that the Australian government has opened two further stadiums in Sydney who boast a combined capacity of 80,000 so that supporters can enjoy the hotly anticipated game on a large screen together.
The Australian team coach Tony Gustavsson insisted that England were favourites, but are set to put up a fight. The team's top star has suffered heartbreak on her way to the top. We take a look at the team's salaries, celeb supporters and their surprising nickname, which bucks the trend of typical sports monikers of The Wallabies, The Kangaroos and The Socceroos.
Unusual nickname
Australia Women's team have an unusual nickname (via Getty Images)As one of the country's most recognisable sporting teams, they don't have a common nickname. They are dubbed The Matildas, which many believe is a homage to one of the most famous songs from Down Under. The Matildas also have a surprising connection with a kangaroo. Many may suspect the name is a tribute to Banjo Paterson's ballad Waltzing Matilda.
Despite being Australia's unofficial anthem and a staple of the country's major sporting events, that is where the connections end. It instead comes from Matilda, the giant kangaroo mascot of the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane. Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, former Australia international Sharon Young recalled putting the name forward as a suggestion.
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She revealed: "I said, 'Well, what about Matilda? You know, the kangaroo that went around the stadium?' I thought that’d be a great name." Matilda the mascot became an iconic figure at the Commonwealth Games, at 13 meters tall and weighing in at six tonnes. The animatronic kangaroo was built on top of a forklift and could wriggle her ears, turn her head, blink and even open up her pouch.
Matilda was able to battle strong winds as she completed a lap of the track as part of the opening ceremony and famously winked at Prince Philip. By that time, Australia men's football team were already nicknamed the Socceroos. According to Football Australia, the 1995 Women's World Cup was the first tournament in which the team was referred to as the Matildas.
In the lead up to the 1995 World Cup, the team did not have a nickname like most of its counterparts. They were informally and even officially referred to as the "Female Socceroos". The Australian Women’s Soccer Association and SBS decided to run a TV vote to determine a new name for the women's national team. Matildas was among the candidates, along with the Soccertoos, The Lorikeets, The Blue Flyers and The Waratahs.
Former AWSA chief executive Peter Hugg came to the same conclusion as Sharon Young while he searched for a viable name. He also suggested taking inspiration from the 1982 Commonwealth Games mascot. "We obviously had Waltzing Matilda, so it was a word that we were familiar with,' he told the Sydney Morning Herald. "Roald Dahl had written his book, Matilda, [published in 1988] about a girl with magical powers. And so these little snippets, you sort of think, this is getting a bit of legs to it. Let’s keep pushing this. Sometimes you strike it lucky. It just fit."
Biggest star's heartbreak
Sam Kerr is Australia's top scoring playerAustralia's captain Sam Kerr has had many ups and downs throughout her career and is currently playing her fourth world cup. Sam played Australian rules football when she was young, but switched over to association football aged 12, mostly due to gender restrictions. She faced struggled during the transition, but her raw talent was soon picked up as "exceptional".
When she was just 15, Sam played her first game with the Matildas as a substitute against Italy. Only a year later, she played in the Asian Cup in China and played her first Women's World Cup in 2011, aged 17. However, Sam suffered a series of injuries but was still picked at the 2015 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games. Sam was chosen as Australia's captain ahead of the Women's World Cup in 2019.
She was just one goal short of the Women's World Cup individual single-game scoring record. Yet Sam managed to maintain her scoring streak by securing six of the 11 goals scored by the Australian team at the 2020 Olympic Games. The football star suffered a calf injury earlier this year but was still selected for the 2023 World Cup in her home nation. She holds the all-time record for most goals for the Matlidas, currently at 63.
Salaries
Captain Sam Kerr reportedly earns a nice £417,000 a year and is said to be the highest paid player in women's football. She is considered to be one of the best strikers in the world. The highest paid male footballer is Cristiano Ronaldo, who earns £173 million a year. It is over £172 million more than Sam.
Celeb fans
Aussie celebs have been backing the Matlidas throughout the tournament. Dannii Minogue has showed her support to the team by posting a selection of cupcakes ahead of the big match against England. Featuring yellow and green icing, the cakes were decorated with mini footballs and 'go Matildas' icing.
Wolverine actor Hugh Jackman has been publicly sharing his support throughout the tournament. He took to his Twitter to share a video ahead of their match against Nigeria in an effort to cheer them on, saying: "Let's keep rolling, come on!" Neighbours star Jason Donvan shared support to both Australia and England ahead of the match. Taking to his Instagram, the actor posted short promo clips from each country.
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