Brisbane Matildas fans line up to see their idols as players handed keys to the city
The Matildas have received the keys to the city, with the Brisbane Riverstage event featuring adoring fans, player interviews and a sing-along with Nikki Webster.
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A sea of green and gold greeted the Matildas at Brisbane’s Riverstage on Sunday as the team marked the end of their World Cup journey.
More than 4400 fans gathered in the early hours of Sunday, coffee cups in hand, as they eagerly awaited the team’s arrival.
Children lined up to have their faces painted before racing to the stage fence line to secure the best viewing spot of their idols being handed the keys to the city.
The crowd, which Football Australia said was 4481-strong, erupted as players made their way onto the stage.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk vamped up the audience, saying the team showed young girls that “anything is possible” and said their World Cup journey “united us all”.
“They have proven that it’s not the shoes you stand in, it’s what you stand for that matters,” she said.
“This team has really tried to open the door for so many more young girls to follow. And today isn’t about the end of something. It’s about the start of something new.”
A hush fell over the crowd as captain Sam Kerr was interviewed.
The star forward said the whole team had “felt the love” throughout the tour and thanked fans for selling out stadiums.
“The fans did this. I mean, we would have played the World Cup with one person in the crowd so for you to pack the stadiums every game, it’s been a dream come true,” she said.
“The fans outside our hotel, outside the stadium, sending messages, wearing the guernseys - we see everything, we appreciate everything.
“It’s been an emotional roller coaster for everyone, but it’s been the best four weeks of our lives.”
Kerr described the experience as a dream.
“It’s a dream come true to play for our national team in a World Cup but to do it on home soil with these amazing fans, it’s been amazing,” she said.
When asked how her calf was feeling, Kerr joked, “this is the last time I talk about my calves ever”.
“Nah, I’m good,” she said, assuring her fans she had no lingering injuries.
Speaking of her outstanding goal kicked in the England match, a humble Kerr said, “I’m not known for my screamers”.
“I mean, in the moment, it was honestly really nice to equalize and put the team back on an even, level playing field,” she said.
Coach Tony Gustavsson said he had mixed feelings as he completed a lap of the pitch following last night’s defeat against Sweden.
“At that moment, it was mixed feelings to be honest, I hate to lose,” he said.
“And I was sad to not be able to get this amazing team and all the amazing fans a bronze medal to get something tangible for this.
“But at the same time that’s one of those things where you checked out of the performance bubble that we’d been in for weeks where you didn’t really allow yourself to to look up and get the helicopter perspective.”
Gustavsson said coaching the Matildas had been an experience like no other.
“At that moment was also a lot of appreciation to experience something that you know is once in a lifetime,” he said.
“I’ve been coaching a lot of teams, a lot of tournaments, but this is something else.”
Asked about the nailbiting penalty shootout against France, midfielder Katrina Gorry confessed she had no idea that her kick would decide whether Australia remained in the Cup.
“It was insane. I was more worried about what my family was thinking than what I was actually feeling at the time,” she said.
“I didn’t even realise if I missed that we were out so I’m glad someone told me that after.”
Football Australia chief executive James Johnson revealed the Matildas shattered broadcast records four times during the World Cup, with more than 400,000 attending stadiums to watch the games live.
“The last three years since winning the bid to host the Women’s World Cup has been something that is transformational for Australian sports,” he said.
“The Australian landscape will never look the same because of what the Commbank Matilda’s have achieved over this past month.
“This team has caused social change. This team has united the whole country behind them.”
As reported in The Sunday Mail, the Premier announced there would be a statue to honour the team at Suncorp Stadium.
“The Matildas have done Australia proud and we say thank you,” she said.
It was also announced on Sunday that the State Government would invest $37 million in women and girls sport.
“The new funding will build on the extensive support already provided for grassroots sport and active recreation across the state, support inclusive participation, and boost the newly announced Queensland Women’s Football Legacy Fund,” a statement said.
Also announced on Sunday was an increase of the Queensland Government’s Inclusive Facilities Fund from $10 million to $30 million, and increase in the Queensland Government’s contribution to $6 million under the Queensland Women’s Football Legacy Fund, bringing the total funding available to $10 million, and an additional $15 million round in the Activate! Queensland’s Active Clubs program to ensure a quality inclusive environment for women and girls which could include training for volunteers, purchasing of equipment and targeted programming.
It comes after the Prime Minister’s announcement on Saturday of a new Play Our Way program to fund the improvement of sporting facilities and equipment specifically for women in response to the “extraordinary” rise in female participation in community sport.
Sunday’s event ended with an appearance from Nikki Webster who sang her hit Strawberry Kisses, which became the unofficial anthem of the Matildas’ World Cup journey.
Mega fans Ellie Beavis, 9, Ruby Chapman, 10, Chloe Dodt, 10 and Aakairah Tangatekere, 9 were among the first to arrive at Riverstage on Sunday.
The girls said their favourite players were Sam Kerr, Ellie Carpenter and Mackenzie Arnold.
“I’m going to scream my head off when they come on stage,” Ellie said.
The girls had an early start after cheering on the team at last night’s match against Sweden, where they also met Kerr and Carpenter’s fathers and Carpenter’s fiancé Danielle van de Donk.
The group proudly boasted that they were part of the first all-female soccer team at the Park Ridge Panthers club.
Playing in the U10s, Ellie plays forward and Ruby, Chloe, Jane and Aakairah play midfield positions.
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