Sport
31 August, 2023
Soccer club keen to capitalise on the Matildas’ success to bring back women’s side
Fresh off the Matilda’s incredible success in the Women’s World Cup, held in their own backyard, the Maryborough Soccer Club has a message to any women interested in taking up the sport — we want you. Like many clubs around Australi...
Fresh off the Matilda’s incredible success in the Women’s World Cup, held in their own backyard, the Maryborough Soccer Club has a message to any women interested in taking up the sport — we want you.
Like many clubs around Australia, Maryborough is one of many looking to capitalise on the fever pitch atmosphere the Matildas created around the country, with the team selling out games in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, as they surged to a fourth-placed finish which included a memorable quarter final win over France which was decided on penalties.
Players like Mackenzie Arnold, Ellie Carpenter, Mary Fowler and Cortnee Vine joined Sam Kerr as household names during the exciting World Cup run.
The Matildas were a hit all over the country, with their semi-final clash against England becoming the most watched television event in Australian history, generating 11.15 million viewers, some 42 percent of the population of Australia.
The Albanese Labor Government also pledged $200 million towards women’s sport in the wake of their achievement.
Now, Maryborough Soccer Club wants a slice of the pie.
The club are keen to get back on their feet after a number of tough seasons in the Ballarat District Soccer Association, with the men’s team finishing off their season last week having recorded just one victory, coming in their final home game against Daylesford two weeks ago.
However, there is much to be positive about, in among the team fighting to secure its future.
The under 13 team has had a successful first season back in the competition, finishing eighth out of 11 teams, which included securing three wins and three draws from their 18 games, an excellent effort.
But the fight is now on to secure a women’s team, which the club hopes will go a long way towards securing much-needed support and their own facilities, which the club has been hard at work campaigning for.
The club last fielded a women’s team in 2022, although they were unable to finish the final three matches of their season. Nevertheless, the table still showed that they were able to take one win for the season.
Before that, Maryborough fielded teams in the 2013 and 2012 seasons, although the club were only able to win one game between those two seasons.
Maryborough Soccer Club’s Sarah Soulsby was a key player for the club in their 2022 campaign, and is also still playing for the club in their men’s team.
She says it would mean everything for the club to have a women’s team return to the fold.
“I’d be over the moon if a women’s team came back,” she said.
Soulsby said despite playing in the men’s competition, she always felt welcome and the team always had her back.
“I have such great support and positive experiences playing with the men’s team. They’re like a family and they always have your back. It’s been fantastic,” she said.
Soulsby reflected on the period of time since Maryborough last had a women’s soccer team.
“It was our first season in a long time last year, something like 10 years, but a long period of time since we had a women’s team in Maryborough,” she said.
Soulsby is passionate about the idea of restarting a women’s team, as is president Joelle Clinton, especially given what could be achieved if it were to field a team, especially in terms of funding and support.
“I want to be a role model. Joelle Clinton is the same, and we want people to know that young women and young girls can play soccer,” she said.
“We’ve seen that with the Matildas and we want to bring it back to Maryborough.
“We’d love enough support, we’d also love support from council to go from there and something that can support female players going forward.”
Soulsby believes it would benefit everyone at the club.
“It would be nice to have somewhere to have all our achievements displayed,” she said.
“That succession would be important too, our junior players would be able to see what happens and get to the next level within the club.
“We can have fundraising events, meetings and bring soccer to Maryborough back to the level it used to be at.”
For more information about the club, you can join its Facebook group by searching Maryborough Soccer Club.