EVEN THE PLAYING FIELDI

After Matildas mania” captivated the nation at the Women’s World Cup, a new documentary hopes to keep the spotlight on the sport, following the team’s long road to recognition and the game-changing women who paved the way

Nearly 50 years ago, a group of women walked onto a field and changed the face of women’s football forever. Today, their successors are chanted for and cheered on by young girls across the country who hang their posters on their walls and consider the possibility that they too could step into the boots of their heroes. They are the Matildas.

Now, a compelling new documentary film, Trailblazers (supported by Mecca’s M-Power), aims to spotlight those women who fought tirelessly for gender equality and paved the way for the next generations of female footballers. Following their tumultuous journey to recognition, Australian women’s football has gone from paying to play in front of a smattering of diehard fans to selling out stadiums at the 2023 FIFA World Cup, which was watched by more than 18 million Australians.

The faces you see on the field play a crucial role in presenting the sport as both a game worth watching and a potential pathway for girls. For Kate Gill, who made her Matildas debut in 2004, any such face was absent from her childhood television screen.