The Matildas might’ve missed out on a place in this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup, but they’ve certainly won Australia over, with one capital city handing over the keys to the city and vowing to build a statue in their honour.
Excited roars echoed across Brisbane’s Riverstage on Sunday morning, with a crowd of fans gathering to celebrate the record-breaking football team.
The team — which features a huge number of Queenslanders — were joined on stage by coach Tony Gustavsson and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, donned in green and gold Tillies merch.
Ms Palaszczuk encouraged the audience to give a “mighty Queensland cheer” for Sam Kerr and her team, as well as the Matildas who came before them and “paved the way”.
“They have proven, it’s not the shoes you stand in, it’s what you stand for that matters — and the Matildas stand for something; fair play, a fair go for women and for girls across Australia,” the premier said.
“Their boots have stepped across a nation and united us all, they have shown girls everywhere that anything is possible.
“The Matildas have done Australia proud and we say thank you.”
In a bid to “turn inspiration into participation”, Ms Palaszczuk vowed to triple investment into improving female facilities at local sporting clubs.
“We’re going to increase the legacy funding for women’s football, including upgrades to major venues where football is played across Queensland,” she told the cheering crowd.
“But wait, there’s one more thing — as a lasting tribute to the 2023 Matildas, we will build a statue at Suncorp Stadium.
“There are plenty there, celebrating our male sporting champions, it’s time we celebrated women as well … you deserve your place amongst the greatest.”
Ms Palaszczuk presented the team with a photo and plaque commemorating “that heart-stopping moment” when Australia faced France in the quarterfinal shoot-out.
Captain Kerr said the gesture, from the city that hosted the team’s final game this World Cup, and the fans gathered to celebrate was “amazing”.
“I think the team deserves it, and it sounds like the crowd loves it,” she said.
“We would’ve played this World Cup with one person in the crowd, so for you to pack the stadiums out every game, it’s been a dream come true and we can’t thank you enough.
“[We] definitely felt the love, the fans outside our hotel, outside the stadium, sending messages, wearing our jerseys … we see everything, we appreciate everything.
“It’s been the best four weeks of our lives.”
When asked why this team had such a substantial impact on the nation, coach Gustavsson said it had to do with the values of its members.
“I think the values that they stand for, not just the way they play football but the way they carry themselves … they’re authentic, they’re true, they’re passionate, and they play with love,” he said.
“They connect to people, and I think that’s why they’re such a special team.
“I’ve coached a lot of teams, I’ve been to a lot of tournaments, but this is something else, this is just unique.”
Brisbane gifts Matildas keys to the city
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner told the crowd he loves to see the handmade signs held by fans at Matildas games because they “say so much”.
“The love, the care, the effort that goes into that … it’s a reminder that sport, like nothing else, has the ability to unite and inspire us all,” he said.
“It has the ability to break down barriers … but sport itself doesn’t do that, sport provides a stage, but what’s a stage without the players?
“We’ve heard the figures on this World Cup, and just how it has blown all of the records out of the water [and] there’s actually one team that’s done that more than any other team that’s played — the Matildas.
“But these things — the attendance records, the viewership — they don’t show the full picture.
“How do you measure the inspirational effect that this team has had?”
Responding to an excited audience member who called out that it wasn’t possible, Mr Schrinner said “that’s right, you can’t, it’s too big”.
The lord mayor pointed to the Matildas slogan — Til It’s Done — saying the celebration wasn’t over yet.
“This is just the beginning,” he said.
“Words are never enough — but today, on behalf of the city of Brisbane, on behalf of the people of Brisbane, it’s my honour to give [the Matildas] the keys to the city.”
Mr Schrinner described the gesture as “the greatest honour that a city can bestow on any person or any team”.
“But let’s be honest, this team doesn’t need any keys, they’ve smashed down the doors [and] ceilings,” he added.
Queensland the ‘heart of football’
Minister for Sport and self-confessed Tillies fan, Anika Wells, thanked the crowd for their role in “the greatest World Cup of any code, ever”.
“This has been a transformative experience for Australia,” she said.
“I think the premier will back me when I say I think we can declare Queensland the new heart of football.
“My friend told me that he took his [daughter] to the under nine’s training the other night and, on the pitch next door, there were two 16-year-old boys playing and they were pretending to be Macca Arnold and Cortnee Vine.”
The minister referred to the one-in-a-generation moment “where the entire country is beside itself with delirious joy”, similar to that of the 2000 Olympic Games where Cathy Freeman won gold and home-grown star Nikki Webster performed.
In a fitting tribute to the last time Australia hosted the Olympics — in the city tasked with organising the 2023 event — the pop sensation took the stage to surprise the Matildas.
Webster performed the team’s favourite song, her iconic Strawberry Kisses live onstage, sharing the mic with the Tillies as they belted out the famous chorus.
Upgrades to Queensland facilities
The legacy funding announced by the premier today will go towards upgrades at Queensland facilities that acted as training sites and base camps for teams that competed in the World Cup:
- Perry Park — $150,000 for pitch and site facility upgrades
- Spencer Park — $150,000 for pitch upgrades
- Lions Stadium, Richlands — $1 million towards universal change rooms and field irrigation
- Moreton Bay Central Sports Complex — $248,004 for pitch upgrades, a viewing platform and ancillary facilities
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