$4 million in four days: Why the ‘Matildas effect’ isn’t slowing down

Clare Hunt will not be the first in her family to play at Adelaide Oval. Her older brother, Henry, is a cricketer who plays for South Australia in the Sheffield Shield and Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League. It’s his home ground. But he has never experienced anything even remotely close to what his sister is about to.

History will be made on Friday night when Hunt and the Matildas take to South Australia’s biggest and most beloved sporting venue for the first time. Their Olympic send-off clash against China has been sold out for weeks, ensuring up to 53,500 people will be there to watch what is effectively a meaningless exhibition. It is likely to be the biggest crowd ever for a football match played in Adelaide.

Clare Hunt says she’s living the dream with the Matildas.Credit: Getty

Hunt’s teammates at Paris Saint-Germain often ask her what on earth is going on in Australia with the Matildas, and their questions are tinged with envy about the level of support.

“It’s amazing,” the 25-year-old centre-back said. “It ebbs and flows at different times for different countries … [but] for us, if we continue having performances and the support of the public, it doesn’t have to ebb. We can continue raising the bar for other countries.”

Another 75,000 or so will take in Monday night’s rematch at Accor Stadium in Sydney, generating well over $4 million in ticket revenue for Football Australia in just four days, according to well-placed federation sources talking on the condition of anonymity.

That figure does not include additional income from corporate hospitality, sponsorships and ground signage, or the millions paid by competing state tourism boards to secure the matches.

A new South Australian record for a football crowd is likely to be set at Adelaide Oval on Friday night.Credit: Getty

It has been almost a year since the FIFA Women’s World Cup swept through Australia, but there is no hint that the national obsession with the Matildas is slowing down.

The China games will make it 14 consecutive sell-outs at home for the Matildas, and a cumulative attendance of more than 600,000 at an average of just over 50,000. Half of those matches were during the World Cup – meaning all the proceeds from those went into FIFA’s coffers – but the enthusiasm for the team has remained through their Paris 2024 qualifiers and now these two friendlies, which are their final outings before coach Tony Gustavsson settles on his 18-player Olympic squad.

For all of football’s domestic ills, and the precarious financial future of the A-Leagues, FA executives believe recent events are showcasing the game’s overall strong health. Last week, more than 6000 crammed into a suburban venue to watch an Australia Cup qualifier between Preston Lions and South Melbourne, two teams who will play in the new national second division for men next year. Meanwhile, the A-League Men grand final set a new attendance record in Gosford, and the glamour friendlies at the MCG and Marvel Stadium involving Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United’s men’s teams, Arsenal’s women’s team and A-League All Stars teams for men and women were watched by more than 121,000 people.

The Socceroos also sold out their two World Cup qualifiers against Lebanon in March. But where fans of the men’s game tend to turn up en masse only for important games or big opposition, all the evidence suggests that fans of the women’s game don’t really care. As long as the Matildas are playing, that’s all that matters to them.

“These robust ticket sales not only reflect the passion for the sport, but also contribute significantly to its development and success,” FA chief executive James Johnson said. “Ticketing revenue has become a vital revenue stream, which we have been able to reinvest in the ongoing development of the sport and our national teams.”

Hunt is still getting her head around it all. She made her international debut only last year but has become a fixture of the Matildas’ back four, and her immense World Cup displays led to a life-changing transfer to PSG.

“When you’re a country kid, and you go straight to Paris, it’s a little bit of culture shock, I must admit,” she said. “But I feel like I adapt quite well, and I have people over there who are quite supportive of me – and English speakers as well.”

Her footballing transition has been a lot smoother – apart from a stress fracture in her foot that sidelined her for about six weeks and forced her to miss PSG’s recent victory in the Coupe de France final.

Now fully fit and firing again, she is ready to make her first appearance for the Matildas since helping the team clinch Olympic qualification in February, and ready to show Australian audiences more of what she’s learnt since moving to Europe.

“I get to play with some of the best players in the world and train with some of the best players in the world. It’s definitely increased the tempo at which I play,” she said. “It’s challenged me to be faster in everything that I do. It’s been really, really tough, but also really, really enjoyable, and I’d say a massive learning experience for me.”

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