“We need funding in our grassroots. We need funding everywhere. The comparison to other sports isn’t really good enough.”
They were the words spoken by Matildas skipper Sam Kerr in the aftermath of the epic semi-final against England on Wednesday. It hit home as powerfully as the star striker’s incredible goal.
But after the Matildas play Sweden on Saturday evening in Brisbane for third place, federal government funding – about $10m over two years that has helped them prepare for the tournament – runs out.
After the glory, comes uncertainty. The narrative about the Matildas and women’s sport has been that this tournament will be a game changer. And there are high hopes that it will be.
But next, the Matildas will try to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics with less high-performance funding ($1.9m) from the federal government than what rugby…