Sport Australia Hall of Fame Awards: Matildas take out the prestigious Don Award after captivating the nation during home World Cup

The Sport Australia Hall of Fame’s prestigious Don and Dawn Awards have been announced. Which national team has taken out the top honour this year? See the results.

The Matildas produced a World Cup run for the ages. Picture: Lachie Millard

The Matildas have won the prestigious Don Award after captivating the nation during their semi-final run at this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Named in honour of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame’s inaugural inductee, Sir Donald Bradman, the award is considered the highest honour in Australian sport.

The sporting honour is presented to an athlete or a team which provided the most inspiration to the nation through their performance and example in the past year.

The Matildas became the first Australian team to make a senior FIFA World Cup – men’s or women’s – semi-final in their emotion-charged campaign on home soil.

The award recognised the role the Matildas played in uniting the country, inspiring the next generation of football players and elevating the profile of women’s sport.

Matildas players celebrate after their epic quarter-final win. Picture: Lachie Millard

The Matildas smashed attendance and viewing records during the World Cup run with more than two million spectators at stadiums, while their semi-final against England was the highest-rating program in Australia since the current television ratings system began in 2001.

The team produced one of the year’s most memorable sporting moments with its nailbiting penalty shootout against France in the quarter-finals.

Player react to Cortnee Vine’s history-making penalty. Picture: Lachie Millard

A penalty from substitute Cortnee Vine eventually sealed a 7-6 victory for the Matildas – and a place in the semi-final against England – after the longest penalty shootout in FIFA World Cup history, men’s or women’s.

The team’s campaign ended with a 3-1 semi-final loss to England 3-1 before going down 2-0 to Sweden in the bronze medal match.

The Matildas’ Don Award win comes in a year when Australia’s men’s (ODI) and women’s (T20) cricket teams both claimed World Cup wins abroad, as well as Australia’s netballers.

The performance of another groundbreaking women’s team was also honoured with this year’s Dawn Award.

Australia’s gold-medal winning 2000 Sydney Olympic women’s water polo team claimed the award named after swimming great Dawn Fraser, honouring a “courageous groundbreaker who demonstrated achievement against the odds and challenged the status quo”.

The Australian women’s water polo team celebrate their Sydney 2000 gold medal. Picture: Gregg Porteous

The women’s water polo team was honoured not just for its historic gold-medal win in 2000, but for the players’ campaign to have women’s water polo included at the Olympics.

The Don Award and the Dawn Award are awarded annually by the Sport Australia Hall of Fame selection committee.

The seven 2023 inductees into the SAHOF are also set to be honoured at Friday’s awards ceremony in Melbourne – Johnathan Thurston, Kim Brennan, Kurt Fearnley, Lydia Lassila, Nova Peris, Tim Cahill and Tim McLaren.

Three members – Bob Skilton OAM, Layne Beachley AO and Mark Ella AM – have been elevated to legend status.

Originally published as Sport Australia Hall of Fame Awards: Matildas take out the prestigious Don Award after captivating the nation during home World Cup