Sam Kerr’s baby announcement and Graham Arnold’s shock exit: Highs and lows of Australian football in 2024
Baby announcements, boyfriend reveals, retirements, shock resignations, betting scandals, transfer records and incredible goals – we take a look at the highs and lows of Australian football.
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From surprise baby announcements, boyfriend reveals, retirements, shock resignations, betting scandals, transfer records and incredible goals – there has been plenty of on and off the field drama for our Australian football stars this year.
Sam Kerr hardly played a game but the Matildas captain still found herself in the spotlight plenty with a looming court date and baby announcement.
While Mary Fowler made international headlines after revealing one of the worst kept secrets of the year – she was dating Penrith Panthers player Nathan Clearly.
Since the big reveal in April the couple have hardly been able to grab a cup of coffee without attracting the attention of paparazzi.
The national men’s and women’s teams both lost coaches – one sacked and the other quit mid World Cup qualifying.
And after all the talk of coming home from Paris with a medal the Matildas didn’t even make it out of the group stage at the Olympics – their worst performance in 20 years.
On a domestic level the A-League’s delivered plenty of drama too including a betting scandal, owners leaving and an expansion side on hold.
There were plenty of highs though – an incredible goal from Kyra Cooney-Cross in a historic win against Germany is hard to forget.
Transfer records were broken – proving Australia can build top class footballers.
Here is a look back at the highs, lows, scandals and drama that rocked Australian football in 2024.
THE BIGGEST HEADLINES OF 2024
SAM KERR
She made international headlines in January after rupturing her ACL while playing for English WSL side Chelsea – ruling her out of the Olympics and sending the Matildas into a tailspin.
Despite not being able to play Kerr still managed to land in the papers plenty. First for her off-field legal dramas. The striker will face trial in the UK in 2025 on charges of racially aggravated harassment. The incident is alleged to have taken place in January 2023 after a night out with her Chelsea teammates.
In November the Matildas striker announced her fiance and fellow footballer Kristie Mewis were expecting a baby. Mewis is carrying the child.
Kerr’s injury has been revealed to be worse than first thought and now isn’t expected to be back on the pitch until February or even March.
POWER COUPLE
While only 21 Mary Fowler is one of the biggest names in Australian and world football. The midfielder possesses a unique set of skills not normally seen in a player so young. Fowler rose to fame during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup – her performance elevating her to a starting role with Manchester City’s women’s team in the English WSL.
Her on field performance was hit and miss at the Olympics this year – possible due to then coach Tony Gustavsson being unsure how to get the best out of her.
She made headlines in April though after confirming a long time suspicion that she was dating NRL superstar Nathan Clearly. The pair, who live on opposite sides of the world, attract plenty of attention when they do manage to meet.
COACHES BOW OUT
Given their dismal performance at the Olympics and talk of unhappy players it was no huge surprise when Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson’s contract wasn’t renewed post the Games.
But it was a big shock when Socceroos coach Graham Arnold quit mid World Cup qualifying cycle.
The Socceroos had struggled to perform at an elite level in the later part of Arnold’s tenure, the coach admitting after he handed in his resignation it was something he had been considering since the Asian Cup.
The coach had been under pressure after a number of poor results in the World Cup qualifying stages – but Arnold made the move before Football Australia could sack him.
It took FA just three days to appoint former Melbourne Victory coach Tony Popovic as the new coach.
Meanwhile four months on from Tony Gustavsson’s exit the Matildas are still without a coach. Tom Sermanni brought in on an interim basis.
BETTING SCANDAL
Three Macarthur FC players were charged after allegedly fixing multiple games as part of an international betting syndicate run by an unnamed criminal group out of Colombia. Ulesis Davila, Clayton Lewis and Kearyn Baccus were all accused of being involved in the scam which allegedly involved getting a certain number of yellow cards during A-League games. All three players have been suspended, with their matters still before the courts.
BIG SIGNINGS
A-League rivals Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers nabbed the two biggest signings of the 2024/25 season. The Sky Blues signed Douglas Costa and Wanderers lured Juan Mata over to Australia. It certainly amped up anticipation ahead of their derby clashes. Mata’s lack of game time though with Wanderers had many fans and experts questioning coach Alen Stajcic’s use of the World Cup winner – some labelling it disrespectful.
THE LOWLIGHTS
MATILDAS DROP OUT
On the back of their historic fourth placed finish at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup the Matildas were expected to return from the Paris Olympics with medals around their necks. Instead they quickly dispersed on European holidays or tried to sneak out of Paris on a team bus empty-handed after bowing out in the group stage.
It was the worst performance by an Australian women’s football team at the Olympics in 20 years.
It was a tough group – which included Germany and eventual winners USA, but their performance on the field highlighted a huge gap between the Matildas and top competition.
Questions were raised about the Matildas’ preparation with Gustavsson declaring after their 3-0 loss to Germany “we weren’t ready”. Players spoke of being unhappy in camp and were confused by Gustavsson’s tactics. Their lack of performance was one of the biggest talking points of the Olympics.
EXPANSION FALLS THROUGH
The A-League’s Men’s competition was supposed to feature 14 teams this season – instead there are just 13 after the promised Canberra expansion side fell through.
There APL consistently said the deal was close to being struck but at the 11th hour conceded it wouldn’t go ahead in time for the 2024/25 season. It caused issues for the Canberra United women’s team which had expected to be part of the new men’s outfit. Instead the government had to offer financial assistance to keep the side afloat.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
LITTLE SIDE THAT CAN
Central Coast Mariners proved money isn’t everything, becoming the first Australian club to win the A-League premiership, championship and AFC Cup. The Mariners are the smallest club in the League with a very limited budget. They have put a huge focus on their academy and developing Australian talent rather than spending big on marquee players. The move paid off and their incredible feat will go down as one of the biggest success stories in Australian sport.
AUCKLAND SOAR
It is very rare that an expansion side joins a league and hits the ground running. A-League men’s expansion side Auckland FC are bucking the trend. Seven rounds in and the team have six wins and a draw – the only undefeated team in the competition. Everything seems to be working for Auckland – they even have a reliable fan base.
TRANSFER RECORDS FALL
The 17-year-old was transferred from Adelaide United to Bayern Munich. While the official fee has not been disclosed it was reported to be close to $6 million – setting a new A-League record. It wasn’t just the men breaking records. Melbourne City’s Kaitlyn Torpey set a new women’s record in her move to NWSL side San Diego Wave.
SOCCEROOS TURN IT AROUND
Tony Popovic took the helm and it has so far reignited the Socceroos hopes of directly qualifying for the World Cup. When he took over the Socceroos were at the bottom of their group – just the top two earn automatic entry into the global competition. The Socceroos now sit second in their group behind Japan.
RETIREMENTS
Two of the biggest names in Australian women’s football retired this year – Clare Polkinghorne and Lydia Williams. Polkinghorne is the Matildas most capped player, while Williams had been part of the squad for close to 20 years. Both were given send-off games in front of sold out stadiums.
THAT GOAL
It took her 50 games but Kyra Cooney-Cross made sure her debut national goal is one that won’t be forgotten. The long range in the 39th minute put the Matildas on the scoreboard and helped them pull off a historic first 2-1 win against Olympic bronze medal winners Germany.
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Originally published as Sam Kerr’s baby announcement and Graham Arnold’s shock exit: Highs and lows of Australian football in 2024
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