Fans say same thing about bold new Matildas jersey
The Matildas unveiled their bold new jersey at the SheBelievesCup on Friday, but not everyone was a fan of the new kit.
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Blinding neon sun, splice ice block or innovative fashion?
That seemed to be the spread of reaction from football fans who got their first glimpse of Football Australia’s new jersey in the Matildas’ SheBelieves Cup clash against Japan on Friday.
Japan defeated Australia 4-0 in a shocking display from the Matildas.
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In a match between the world No. 8 Japanese and No. 15 Aussies, it looked like it would have been a close match as the Matildas fielded a full strength team minus the injured Sam Kerr.
Unfortunately, it was a horror show in the Matildas’ first match since December as Asia’s true powerhouse put the Aussies to the sword.
The result was the biggest ever loss by the Matildas to Japan and should have been much worse with some terrible shots, but what was worse was that the Aussies quite literally didn’t even fire a shot, with no shots on goal throughout the 90 minutes.
Fans couldn’t help but notice the Matildas’ new strip. The collaboration between Nike and Football Australia is a bright yellow shirt featuring lime green zigzags.
The traditional gold has been ditched as part of a new suite of playing gear designed for the Socceroos and Matildas by a First Nations Artist, including a black away strip and a blue goalkeeper jersey.
The uniforms have been designed by First Nations artist Reko Rennie and are described as a “bold, contemporary reinterpretation of Australia’s iconic green and gold”.
“It stands out and gives us character,” Ellie Carpenter told media earlier this week.
It’s safe to say the reaction from fans on social media was mixed.
AAP’s Ben McKay wrote on X: “new matildas/Socceroos kit rips imo. me likey.”
One fan posted: “Wow. Not sure what’s more rubbish, the new kit or this Matildas performance.”
A second said: “I blame the new ugly kit.”
Another commented: “They are going to sell a lot of away jerseys and training tops. Excellent that it’s available for both matildas and Socceroos fans. Not a big fan of the home jersey, but the other stuff looks good.”
When images of the jerseys were leaked, one harsh fan commented: “Is there a Commonwealth Games coming up? Best and Less have a new sports range?”
Another said: “That better be a training shirt not the home.”
One person joked on Instagram: “Jamaican me think it’s the 90s.”
Nonetheless, the jerseys are likely to fly off the shelves for Nike and Football Australia given the Matildas’ popularity.
Football Australia chief executive James Johnson said the kits marked a move to a “single, unified jersey” for all national teams at all levels.
“We are particularly thrilled that both the CommBank Matildas and Subway Socceroos will unite under a single, unified jersey,” he said.
“This kit will be proudly worn by the CommBank Matildas from now through to 2026, including the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026, and by the Subway Socceroos throughout the remainder of their AFC Asian Qualifiers as they continue their journey toward the FIFA World Cup 2026.
“More than just a jersey, this kit is a powerful symbol of Australia’s footballing identity – seamlessly blending First Nations storytelling with cutting-edge performance innovation.
“It ensures that when our teams take the field, they do so in a design that honours both our rich cultural heritage and our bold ambitions on the global stage.“
Following the semi-final appearance at the 2023 World Cup on home soil, the Matildas played plenty of friendlies in 2024 and now turn their attention to the 2026 Asian Cup, which will be held in Australia.
The Matildas will need to find improvement over the next 12 months if they are to beat Japan and replicate the Socceroos, who won the 2015 Asian Cup on home soil.
Japan took control from the outset, with a brace from Mina Tanaka and other goals from Maila Hamano and Moeka Minami securing a victory that could have been by a bigger margin such was the gulf in class between the two teams.
Interim Matildas coach Tom Sermanni described the performance against Japan as “un-Australian”.
“We were outplayed basically from the start right through to the finish of the game in every department,” Sermanni said.
“We were outplayed football wise, we were outplayed physically, we were outplayed mentally, outplayed on our decision-making, so there wasn’t a lot of positive things to take away from today’s performance.
“Probably the most disappointing thing was that even despite that, I felt that some of the goals that we gave up were very poor and that’s kind of ‘un-Australian’.
Calls are growing louder for the Matildas to appoint a permanent coach after Tony Gustavsson stepped down after the Paris Olympics.
The Australians meet the United States in Glendale on Monday and Colombia in San Diego on Thursday.
Originally published as Fans say same thing about bold new Matildas jersey
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