The Matildas will play their last match on home soil before the Paris 2024 against China in front of a sellout crowd at Accor Stadium in Sydney on Monday night.
It’s the 14th consecutive home match the Matildas have sold out.
What makes this occasion even more remarkable is that it’s a Monday night, in a city renowned for slower ticket sales, only two days before the State of Origin series-opener at the same venue.
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Monday’s match will double as the final opportunity for players to book their seat on the plane to Paris, before the squad is announced on Tuesday morning.
Kyra Cooney-Cross takes a selfie with fans after the match against China in Adelaide last Friday night. Getty
While the Tillies’ boom in popularity in Australia was largely ignited by last year’s home FIFA Women’s World Cup, it reflects a broader global trend in the women’s game.
Speaking on Nine’s Today on Monday morning, Football Australia chief executive James Johnson said that while it was an “exiting time” for the game, such a boom also brought about fresh “challenges”.
A general increase in the length of club seasons, as well as longer international windows is putting more strain on the players than ever before.
But as ticket sales continue to boom, administrators and coaches are left in an awkward position – give players the rest they need and rob fans of the opportunity to see their favourites on the pitch, or play them and risk an injury.
Adelaide Oval was a sell out last Friday night. Getty
In Adelaide on Friday night, the Matildas escaped with a 1-1 draw after a late equaliser from veteran Michelle Heyman.
Coach Tony Gustavsson had said before the match he remained undecided on four spots for the Olympics squad, and so fielded a largely experimental starting lineup.
But it nearly backfired. Down 1-0 just after the hour mark, the Tillies were barely threatening the Chinese defence when Gustavsson finally pulled the trigger.
He brought on Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Hayley Raso, Ellie Carpenter and Kyra Cooney-Cross at once. Their introductions transformed the match, although there still an element of luck in Heyman’s equaliser
Johnson suggested the decision to start with a weakened side doubled as a chance to ease strain on players.
“There is a challenge with the women’s calendar at the moment because of the growth of the women’s game, both at club level and national team,” he said.
“The solution though, is we need to ensure that as far as our high performance goes of our team, that we’re sharing the match minutes around the players.
“That’s why sometimes you don’t see the strongest 11 play 90 minutes of football every time there’s an international window.”
Kickoff for Monday’s match is at 7.40pm AEST.