Australia women's national soccer team
The Australia women's national soccer team is overseen by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia, which is currently a member of the Asian Football Confederation and the regional ASEAN Football Federation since leaving the Oceania Football Confederation in 2006. The team's official nickname is "the Matildas" ; they were known as the "Female Socceroos" before 1995.
Australia is a three-time OFC champion, one-time AFC champion and one-time AFF champion. The team has represented Australia at the FIFA Women's World Cup on eight occasions and at the Olympic Games on five, although it has won neither tournament. Their performance in the 2023 World Cup attracted significant nationwide attention and has had an impact on the perception of women's sport in Australia.
History
Foundation
The Australian Women's Soccer Association was founded in 1974 and a representative Australian team competed at the 1975 AFC Women's Championship, although the team was comprised primarily from a club in New South Wales, St George Budapest, with some debate as to whether a national selection process was ever conducted. This team was officially recognised by Football Australia in May 2023, with all 16 members of the squad officially awarded caps. Pat O’Connor captained this team, and her husband Joe was head coach. After finishing runner-up in their group which featured Thailand and Singapore, the Australians would lose 3–2 in the semi-final against New Zealand. A 5–0 win against Malaysia in the third-place playoff meant that the national team came third in the first Asian Cup.A national team made up primarily of players from New South Wales and Western Australia was sent to the 1978 inaugural Women's World Invitational Tournament, in Taipei, Taiwan. Australia, coached by Jim Selby, played against club teams at the tournament and none of the players' appearances counted as official caps. Prior to May 2023, Australia's first official international match was considered to be against New Zealand at Seymour Shaw Park in Miranda, New South Wales, Australia on 6 October 1979, as it was billed as the "1st Australian Women's International Soccer Test". Jim Selby remained as coach. A lack of resources meant Australia's subsequent seven official matches were all against New Zealand.
The 1980s: Development in Oceania
Australia played in the first Oceania Cup in 1983 in New Caledonia, losing the final to New Zealand in extra time. It was the first time the Australians faced a team other than the "Football Ferns" of New Zealand. A team would not be assembled again until the next edition of the tournament in 1986 tournament in New Zealand, which featured Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan, as well as New Zealand's B team. Australia lost in the final again, beaten 4–1 by Taiwan.Throughout the 1980s, the team did not have an official playing kit of its own. The only playing kits available were hand-me-downs that had been donated or discarded by men's teams. Although the players were proud to be wearing an Australian strip, they were never supplied with a kit that fitted them properly. Moreover, on the eve of one international tour, several players famously had to sew the team crest onto their tracksuit jackets with a needle and thread.
The late 1980s had Australia encountering the American and European teams for the first time in the 1987 Women's World Invitational Tournament in Taiwan, and the 1988 FIFA Women's Invitation Tournament in China. For the latter tournament, the players had to sew themselves their own Australian crests onto the team tracksuits. Two years later, Australia hosted the 1989 Oceania Cup in Brisbane with Australia entering two teams: Australia A and Australia B. After originally being separated in two groups, neither team made it to the final with Chinese Taipei defeating both Australia B and Australia A to force the Australians to take on each other for the third-place play-off, which was rained out and abandoned.
The 1990s: Continued growth, Sermanni era 1
The national team played no matches in 1990, 1992 or 1993. The 1991 OFC Women's Championship tournament doubled as qualifiers for the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup, and the winner was determined by the best results from a group. Australia finished level on points with New Zealand, but had scored fewer goals, which resulted in New Zealand progressing to the World Cup as OFC's representative. Football Australia established the Australia women's national under-20 soccer team in the early 1990s. Initially they were organised as an under-19 team, but changed to under-20 in 2006.Scottish-born former professional soccer player and Sydney Olympic FC's coach Tom Sermanni was appointed as coach of the Australian women's national soccer team in July 1994. His team played internationally on a tour of Russia in August 1994. The Oceania tournament in 1994 again doubled as World Cup qualifiers in the same round-robin format. Again, Australia finished even with New Zealand on points but this time had a superior goal difference and qualified for their first FIFA Women's World Cup.
Before 1995, the nickname for the women's team was just "Female Socceroos", derivative of the male squad. Thus in 1995 the Australian Women's Soccer Association joined with Special Broadcasting Service to broadcast a naming competition for the female team. Out of five names, the popular vote chose "Matildas", from the song "Waltzing Matilda". The players themselves did not approve of the name, and took years to use the moniker to describe the team.
At the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup in Sweden, Australia were grouped with the United States, China and Denmark. During their opening match against Denmark, they lost 5–0. During the team's second match, a 4–2 loss to China, Angela Iannotta scored Australia's first goal at a World Cup. In the final group match against cup holders the United States, Australia scored first but went on to lose 4–1.
In 1996, the team entered into its first kit sponsorship deal, with rising sportswear brand Asics. The deal was initiated during a chance conversation between team manager Sermanni, the CEO of the AWSA, Peter Hugg, and an Asics' representative, Lawrie McKinna, who had become a fan of women's football due to his acquaintance with former team member Janine McPhee. Asics and team management jointly developed the design of the first sponsored strip; it incorporated new technology that made it lighter and more comfortable for the players than their previous kit. In November 1997 Sermanni left to join Sanfrecce Hiroshima as assistant coach, he was replaced by Greg Brown as Matilda's head coach.
The Matildas would assert their Continental strength at the 1998 Oceania Cup, which doubled as a World Cup qualifying tournament. Australia thrashed their Pacific island opposition in their group games and semi-final, before defeating hosts New Zealand in the final 3–1, and qualifying for the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup in USA. At the tournament, Australia was grouped with Sweden, China and Ghana. In their opening match, they secured their first non-loss in a World Cup match with a 1–1 draw against the Ghanaians. Their following group matches were both 3–1 losses, finishing third in the group.
Australia still did not have much attention and respect, with the Matildas forced to train with second-hand equipment from the Socceroos, not getting paid and with few games to play. In 1999, to promote themselves and raise funds for the team, most of the Matildas posed for an AWSA board-approved nude calendar, which sold over 40,000 units.
2000–2004: First Olympics appearances
The profile built for the sport carried into 2000, where the Matildas had a guaranteed spot for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney as host nation. In their Olympic debut, they would be facing the top seven placed teams from the previous year's Women's World Cup. While in January a friendly match against the Czech Republic in Melbourne's Bob Jane Stadium attracted only 1,500 spectators, a crowd of 10,000 came to the Matildas' game against China at the Sydney Football Stadium in June. Much anticipation surrounded the team's Olympic performance on home soil. Australia started strongly against the formidable Germany, but in the end went down 3–0. Next up was a gutsy performance against Sweden, the Aussie defence soaking up immense pressure. Australia took the lead only to share the points from a controversial Sweden penalty. The draw lifted Australia's hopes of still advancing into the semifinals, which they could achieve with a third-match win. A brilliant performance and a wonder goal by Sunni Hughes gave Australia the first half lead against Brazil, but two errors allowed Brazil to claim victory 2–1, quickly dissolving Australia's dreams. The legacy of a home Olympics featuring the best in the world further raised the profile of women's soccer in Australia.The team were the host nation for an annual invitational tournament called the Australia Cup, from 1999 to 2004 inclusive, winning it twice. Following the 2000 Olympics, many problems halted the Matildas' schedules. As Ernie Merrick backed out on his intentions to coach the team, Adrian Santrac only took over as manager in November, and Australia played no games in 2001. The following year the team argued over the calendar proceeds with the promoter, and AWSA went into liquidation with debts of over $70,000; all of its other assets were absorbed by Soccer Australia. In-between, many players opted to retire from the national team. Matilda defender Anissa Tann became the first Australian soccer player to reach 100 caps when she appeared in the U.S. Cup match against hosts, United States in October 2002.
In 2003, they competed in the Oceania Cup with the team winning all four matches to the combined score of 45 goals to nil with the closest being a 2–0 win over New Zealand. Qualifying for the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, the Australians were drawn in Group D with China, Ghana and Russia, the Australians only scored a single point at the World Cup with a 1–1 draw against China. Though two losses against Russia and Ghana meant that they finished bottom of the group. The team won the 2004 OFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Fiji to return to Olympic tournament in Athens 2004. The Matildas won their first Olympic game ever against Greece, and managed to qualify for the quarterfinals, losing to Sweden 2–1.