New W-League offers hope

A blue plaque was unveiled in a south Sydney suburb in October, not far from Botany Bay where Captain Cook made landfall in 1770 and launched the first European settlement of Australia. The plaque, however, was to mark a less remembered historical landmark: the birth of the Matildas, Australia’s women’s football team.

It was at Seymour Park, in October 1979, that Australia played their first international, a 2-2 draw with New Zealand. A smattering of spectators watched the game and media coverage was negligible.