Australia’s dream of hoisting the Women’s World Cup trophy is over however the co-host is decided to take greater than a bronze medal away from a watershed match.
The Matildas misplaced 3-1 to England on Wednesday however received over a nation throughout their first run to World Cup semifinals, drawing report crowds and TV audiences.
Sweden will likely be a tricky opponent for the third-place playoff on Saturday however Australia’s higher problem will likely be to maintain the momentum for the game within the long-term.
“Football is bigger than 90 minutes,” stated coach Tony Gustavsson.
“We’re very disappointed in the loss, but hopefully we won something else. We won the hearts and the passion for this game in this country. This is not the end of something; this needs to be the start of something, and with that comes money as well.”
Australia’s gamers are already assured $165,000 every from FIFA’s prize pool for making the semifinals. They can raise that to $180,000 in the event that they beat Sweden in Brisbane.
The cash will likely be greater than some members of the squad earn in a yr taking part in professionally for golf equipment in Australia and abroad.
It’s additionally a far cry from the 2015 match in Canada, the place the Matildas obtained A$750 every for taking part in within the quarterfinals.
Months after that World Cup, they went on strike over pay and situations, fed up with contracts that demanded skilled dedication for poverty-line wages.
Much has modified with the event of the ladies’s recreation. The Matildas have had gender pay parity with the nationwide males’s aspect since 2019.
Australia captain and Chelsea striker Sam Kerr, the primary feminine participant to characteristic on the duvet of the vastly in style FIFA online game, earned greater than A$3 million ($1.92 million) final yr, the Australian Financial Review reported, largely from endorsements.
However, she is an outlier in a sport by which ladies professionals earn a fraction of their male counterparts.
The Australian authorities tipped A$44 million into internet hosting the World Cup. An additional $40 million was allotted for grass-roots programmes and to assist fund the Matildas’ recently-opened coaching base in Melbourne.
But Kerr stated Australian soccer would wish extra funding to stay aggressive and related in a sport market lengthy dominated by Australian Rules soccer and rugby league.
“I can only speak for the Matildas. We need funding in our development. We need funding in our grass-roots … We need funding everywhere,” she stated.
“The comparison to other sports isn’t really good enough.”
