The Matildas will play first Gold Coast match in December as Tameka Yallop reveals thoughts on manager search

The Matildas will make history on Sunday night as they take on Brazil on the Gold Coast in a quest to bounce back from a poor Olympics and a tough first game.

The Matildas will play a first-ever fixture on the Gold Coast on Sunday night when they host powerhouse Brazil as the team rebuilds from its Olympic flop.

It comes after male counterparts the Socceroos travelled to the Gold Coast for their first-ever match in the resort city in September, suffering a disappointing 0-1 loss to Bahrain at Robina.

Tameka Yallop is one of four Gold Coast girls aiming to play in the home clash, and said all the locals in the squad would be “really excited”.

“The Gold Coast will show up and that’s the best part, it’ll be the atmosphere and we’re all looking forward to it,” Yallop said.

Matildas Midfielder Tameka Yallop with young players at Tameka’s junior club, Mudgeeraba Soccer Club. Picture: Glenn Campbell

The match is one of four fixtures condensed into a jam-packed two-week block, following a 3-1 loss to Brazil at Suncorp Stadium last week in Brisbane before the Matildas head south to Victoria to play a pair of fixtures against Chinese Taipei.

Gold Coast local Hayley Raso, copped some bruises during the first Brazil game but will start.

Interim coach Tom Sermanni reflected on the game.

“We had a few bruised bodies the day after the game but like most athletes they are resilient and everybody’s back today, upbeat and out on the football field,” Sermanni said.

“I felt the referees were either intimidated or bullied the other night and if they had taken control of the game early I think it would have been a very different outcome.

“I felt particularly our forwards were just getting no protection, it reminded me of a football game from the 1980s – forwards got very little protection in those days and that kind of happened the other night.”

Yallop said earlier this year the condensed block of fixtures would be good preparation for the 2026 Asian Cup, being played on Australian soil.

“It’s like a little tournament for us … it’s a good opportunity that we’ll be looking forward to using,” she said.

Yallop also noted that would be a good opportunity to familiarise the group with Sermanni, his third stint in the role after Tony Gustavsson’s departure following the Paris Olympics.

“You want to hit the ground running, especially when you have a new coach. Tom has been with us before and we know his style and he knows the Aussie nature very well, we’re very excited to get going under him,” Yallop said.

“It’s a new cycle, we prepare for that every four years, you go through stages of rebuilding and reaching peak performance, this is nothing new for a lot of us.

“We’ve been through a few coaches. It’s something you have to deal with at the professional level.”

Matildas Midfielder Tameka Yallop with young players Eadie Kelly and Alex Streeter at Tameka’s junior club, Mudgeeraba Soccer Club. Picture: Glenn Campbell

While Football Australia is biding its time to find the right leader to take the Matildas forward, the governing body acted swiftly after Graham Arnold departed the Socceroos top job, appointing Tony Popovic as the new manager in just three days.

Yallop had no issue with the contrasting timeline.

“It’s difficult when you’re looking at the national team and trying to find the right fit in a coach,” she said.

“It’s all about availability as well, if you need to take that time to find the right (person), it can be lucky if you can roll into another one straight away.

“That process is up to the FA and they’ll do a great job of it, all we can do is wait and have a good time under Tommy.

“We would prefer just the right fit, we’re pretty excited to have Tommy in. We all know him and we know what he’s done for women’s football in Australia.”

Experience Gold Coast has been behind the change in fortune that has seen the region become a destination for Australia’s national football teams, and CEO John Warn said a sellout crowd was expected on December 1 at Cbus Super Stadium.

Matildas Midfielder Tameka Yallop with Experience Gold Coast CEO John Warn announcing the Matildas upcoming Gold Coast fixture. Picture: Glenn Campbell.

“The Matildas turned heads in 2023 and to have them here on the Gold Coast is fantastic news,” Warn said.

“We know these events have a massive economic impact … there’s going to be 35,000 people watch the Matildas here, cheering on their local heroes.

“There’s going to be four Gold Coast locals playing, which is fantastic news for all the young kids, all the football lovers in southeast Queensland and right across Australia.

“The Gold Coast is developing great relationships across all the major sporting bodies in Australia, we’ve developed a great relationship with Football Australia.”