Australia women's national football (soccer) team
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| Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nickname | Matildas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Association | Football Federation Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coach | Tom Sermanni | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Most caps | Cheryl Salisbury (113) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top scorer | Cheryl Salisbury (29) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIFA rank | 15 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| First International Australia 2 – 2 New Zealand Sutherland, Sydney, Australia; 6 October 1979 |
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| Largest win Australia 21 – 0 American Samoa Auckland, New Zealand; 9 October 1998 |
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| Worst defeat United States 9 - 1 Australia Ambler, PA, United States; 5 June 1997 |
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| World Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appearances | 3 (First in 1995) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best result | Round 1, all | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympic Games | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appearances | 2 (First in 1996) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best result | Quarter-final, 2004 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AFC Women's Championship (since 2006)
and OFC Women's Championship (1983-2003) |
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| Appearances | AFC - 1 (First in - 2006),
OFC - 7 (First in 1983) |
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| Best result | AFC - Runners-up (2006),
OFC - Winners (1995, 1998, 2003) |
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The Australia women's football (soccer) team, nicknamed the Matildas (from the song Waltzing Matilda), represents Australia in international women's football (soccer) and is governed by Football Federation Australia (FFA). The team has regularly qualified for both the Women's World Cup and the Olympics although has won neither.
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[edit] History
The first Australian women's national team was formed in 1978, four years after the Australian Women’s Soccer Association, to play in the inaugural World Women’s Invitational Tournament, in Taipei, Taiwan. The team was made up primarily of players from New South Wales and Western Australia. Australia was the only national team at the tournament. Thus, none of the matches are counted as official caps. The players that year were: Sandra Brentnall (WA), Connie Byrnes (captain, NSW), Julie Clayton (WA), Kim Coates (NSW), Julie Dolan (NSW), Cindy Heydon (NSW), Barbara Kozak (WA), Sharon Loveless (WA), Toni McMahon (NSW), Sue Monteath (QLD), Sharon Pearson (NSW), Judy Pettitt (WA), Anna Senjuschenko (WA), Teresa Varadi (WA), Leigh Wardell (NSW), Monika Werner (VIC). Coach Jim Selby.
The Matildas played their first Oceania Cup in 1983 and their first Asian competition against Japan in 1984. The second Oceania Cup Tournament in New Zealand, in 1986 was only three teams: Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan. During 1987 and 1988 the Matildas played tournaments in Taiwan and China encountering the American and European teams for the first time. The team failed qualify for the 1991 FIFA Women’s World Cup for lack of overall number of goals. Between 1991 and 1994, the Matildas played internationally only during a tour of Russia in 1994.
In 1999, the Matildas posed nude for a calendar to fundraise money and gain positive publicity for womens football. Although it received some backlash due to puritan conservative values in various communities, it was a success.
In 2006, the Matildas played in the AFC Asian Cup played in South Australia. The opening game for the Matildas was against South Korea. An early own goal by South Korea put the Matilda's up, finishing with 3 goals in the second half to give them a 4-0 win. The second match against Myanmar was also a win to the Matildas, who finished with 2 goals, with Sally Shipard and Lisa De Vanner scoring one a piece. The Matildas went on to reach the final, being defeated 4-2 on penalties by China after having a two goal half time lead.
[edit] Team
The squad that was announced to tour China in June 2006 was:
[edit] Goalkeepers
Melissa Barbieri (Current Home City - Melbourne), Lydia Williams (Canberra)
[edit] Defenders
Dianne Alagich (Sydney), Rhian Davies (Sydney), Heather Garriock (Sydney), Kate McShea (Brisbane), Clare Polkinghorne (Brisbane), Karla Reuter (Newcastle), Cheryl Salisbury (Newcastle)
[edit] Midfielders
Lauren Colthorpe (Newcastle), Lana Harch (Brisbane), Alicia Ferguson (Brisbane), Kylie Ledbrook (Sydney), Joanne Peters (Newcastle), Sally Shipard (Canberra)
[edit] Forwards
Joanne Burgess (Sydney), Lisa De Vanna (Canberra), Kate Gill (Newcastle), Caitlin Muñoz (Canberra), Sarah Walsh (Sydney)
[edit] Coach
Tom Sermanni
[edit] See also
- Football (soccer) in Australia
- Women’s National Soccer League (WNSL) (Australian women's national league)
[edit] External links
- Football Australia
- Australian Women's Football - unofficial
- Special Feature - Cheryl Salisbury, retrieved 2 May 2006
- All A International results (up to 2004)
