Australia kicked off the World Cup on home soil with jubilation and excitement

It is a collective cry of joy that echoed through the Sydney night. At the final whistle between Australia and Ireland, eleven players packed onto the lawn and tens of thousands of fans packed into the bays to burst into joy. the Matildas They started the World Cup in the best way, Thursday 20 July, by beating Ireland in front of a record crowd (75,784) and a great atmosphere, on a historic evening.

Three hours before kick-off, under the sun, and while the doors were not yet open, the first fans began to invest in the forecourt of Stadium Australia, located in the huge Olympic Park in Sydney. Like Josh, who follows Matildas ten years ago. “It’s historic, we’ve been waiting for this for so long. It would be great if we had so many people.”tasted.

All evening, a wave of yellow, made up of T-shirts and jackets and also tiles to protect against the cold (10 degrees at kickoff), surrounded the box. Not necessarily large gatherings, but many small groups willing to raise their voices and sing in front of the cameras, Irish fans or Nationals.

“It’s amazing to have 75,000 people paying for us.”

No bad news, no announcement of Sam Kerr’s injury, withdrawal from his first two meetings, no mention of a penalty shootout the same morning in Auckland, which hosted New Zealand’s opener, can cool the heat in hearts. Of all the fans who crossed around Stadium Australia, same speech: drama “awesome”a Thinking of familiesbut “No thanks necessary” focus on “next positive”.

In periods, the public Australian Heard with great olas, at the entrance of the players and at kick-off. “Perhaps the most amazing moment was when the national anthem started, it was amazing to see so many Australians coming together.”He entrusted the mixed zone to striker Courtney Fine. If it wasn’t so raucous throughout the meeting, the crowd would have been ready to celebrate the recoveries and demonstrations of their players. Stadium Australia exploded for the first time after winning the penalty kick, which was converted by evening captain Steve Catley (51). The Arsenal man made no mistake and took the entire squad to celebrate the goal at the foot of the side stand.

The fire was lit a second time at the announcement of the evening muster. and for a final rebound once the game was over, after the last ten minutes as the Australians were cornered and in a breathless state. “It was amazing to have 75,000 people pushing behind us, especially in those difficult final minutes.”And honoring Australian coach Tony Gustafson in a press conference, thanking the fans. “I always said it was an adventure at 23, but tonight the crowd was our 24th player.”

Changing the stadium to meet attendance demand

Everything has been done to keep the fever around getting into the running Matildas. At the end of January, FIFA announced that the first match on Australian soil, was initially scheduled to be played at the Sydney Football Stadium (42,500 seats). You will eventually play in Australiawhich were previously scheduled for the final matches, in order to meet the demand for tickets. “It shows the confidence we have in the team to attract a huge crowd for the first game on Australian soil.”James Johnson, chairman of Australian rules football, reacted.

Six months later, the huge crowd numbered 75,784, enough to break the attendance record for a match. Matildas at home Set last week against Les Bleues (50629 at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne). “It’s an important moment for Australian women’s football, when you think of the years when nobody came, it’s crazy to see everyone tonight.”In advance, Kasai is surrounded by her friends around the stadium. “We all played football, fought for tickets and to be there tonight, to live this moment live.”

Discipline is not always in the spotlight

The event is all the more significant because women’s football, and soccer in general, sometimes struggles for existence in the galaxy of Australia’s most popular sport. “It’s almost a niche. National teams and clubs have always struggled to build and maintain loyal fan bases and supporters”, decoded by Angela Kristian Wilkes, writer specializing in Australian women’s football. Furthermore, in the evening crowd, AFL club and rugby jerseys were rubbing shoulders with Kerr and Carpenter shirts.

If it is the most played sport in the country, according to the latest data from the Australian Sports Commission AusPlay (more than 1 million players, including 500,000 licensed in 2021 according to the Australian Federation), it is not surrounded by the same fervor and the same passion as cricket, rugby or even Australian football. “The fact that 80,000 people want to watch a football match, men and women for that matter, shows that there is interest, and demand.”explains Angela Christian Wilkes.

Additional evidence, if needed, the three team games Matildas It’s already sold out. Given the atmosphere and emotion at the end of the meeting, Grace’s case had enough for at least a few more weeks.