Usually netball and gymnastics fanatics, Koyori Burgoyne’s friends are suddenly very into football.
On a chilly weeknight in Sydney’s lower north shore, Burgoyne’s football side, the Gladesville Ravens under-11s, are on the training track. There is an excitement bubbling away, not only because the Ravens have a match this weekend, but because the Matildas are taking on France.
“Lots of my friends are gymnasts and netballers, but because of this World Cup my phone keeps buzzing and they’re all excited the Matildas are scoring goals and winning games,” says 11-year-old Burgoyne, her eyes beaming.
“Even though they don’t play football they are getting really pumped up and excited for it. They love watching them.”
Burgoyne’s teammates, Mariella Zaiter and Helena Turner, nod in agreement. They’ve each been to at least one of the Matildas’ matches in Sydney, and each rate their excitement levels as “10 out of 10”.
They think this is only the beginning when it comes to football’s popularity among girls.
“There are going to be a lot more girls in football next year,” Zaiter predicts. “I’m sure by watching them they will want to become a Matilda and definitely want to give it a go.”
The season is coming to an end for most grassroots divisions, but talk of football is at an all-time high as the Matildas progress through the Women’s World Cup, selling out matches and setting broadcast audience records as they go.
Like most clubs around Sydney, Gladesville Ravens have a growing contingent of women’s and girls players, and there is a feeling that female participation in football is set to soar across Australia.
Hayley Todd, the head of women’s and schools football at Football NSW, says female participation has already increased by 37% since 2013, compared with the 13% growth in male participation.
She says the organisation is aiming for 50-50 participation and that interest in the World Cup is fuelling progress towards that goal.
“Our Matildas provide such great role models for young girls and young boys in our game, and being able to see them visibly, being able to watch their journey absolutely helps us grow the game,” Todd says.
“Ultimately, you can’t be what you can’t see.”
Alessia Rizzuto, a 16-year-old midfielder, says when she was younger football was never popular but the growth in the sport has been “incredible”.
“And with the World Cup, I think there will be double the amount of girls in grassroots programs next season,” she says, juggling a ball.
Rizzuto plays for the Ravens’ under-16s and under-18s girls teams, alongside her teammates Sali Cokely, 16, and Angelina Zaiter, 15.
They say the standards have also risen along with the number of participants. Cokely says the leagues will soon need to expand to accommodate everyone who wants to play.
“There are just so many girls coming – they have to get bigger. And this is what we hoped for.
“And it comes down to having the World Cup on home soil – it’s so inspiring to those little girls. You see them all in the crowd with their little Matildas jerseys on.”
Across the city at APIA Leichhardt FC, one of the oldest grassroots clubs in Sydney, president Tony Raciti marvels at how far the women’s game has come.
“In the past three to four years we’ve seen a massive, mind-boggling increase in the number of girls and women’s players,” he said.
“They have literally doubled the size of our club and we anticipate that we’re just a couple of years away from parity between the boys and the girls numbers.”
Raciti expects the World Cup to “turbocharge” girls participation, expecting up to 3,000 new registrations next season, particularly among younger girls aged four to six.
“The World Cup has sent interest into the stratosphere, without a doubt.”
• This article was amended on 13 August to correct the spelling of Koyori Burgoyne’s name.
