With the eyes of the world firmly focused on the upcoming Women’s World Cup, the Matildas will be under an intense spotlight as they attempt to lift the trophy and ignite the fuse for what is expected to be an explosion in interest in the women’s game in this country.
This may well be the last major tournament for many of the more senior players and interest in the next batch of upcoming Matildas is growing to see who will step up and replace them.
There is certainly no shortage of activity in the junior ranks with the Young Matildas preparing for round 2 of their 2024 U20 Asian Cup qualifiers which take place in June, the Junior Matildas currently playing in Mongolia in the round 1 qualifiers for the 2024 U17 Asian Cup, and the announcement of the Future Matildas scholarship holders.
All of this activity provides huge opportunities for young players around the country, but there are also avenues for players to gain recognition if they don’t manage to gain selection in any of the under-age Matildas’ squads.
Olivia Wood from Perth has recently returned from a successful trip to Dallas in the USA, where she was part of an 18-strong U19 Australian schoolgirl squad that earned a silver medal in the invitation-only 2023 Dallas Cup.
Wood is a member of the reigning WA NPLW champions Perth RedStar squad, but has yet to feature in any national teams, or any A-League squads. However, she was part of the WA State School girl squad that took part in the national championships in 2022 in Sydney and was selected for the national U19 schoolgirl squad following her performances in them.
Getting the squad together was quite the task as the players involved were from all over the country, with five from NSW, five from QLD, four from WA, two from VIC and one each from SA and the ACT.
Wood described how the communication was handled between selection and departure for Dallas and also what the coaching staff wanted from the group;
“We needed to make sure we didn’t get injured and that we were fit and ready to go and because we were in the off-season then getting fit was the main focus. There were a lot of team meetings on Zoom so that we could get to know each other, group chats were set up and all the parents were talking with each other and it created a really good atmosphere before I went over to Sydney for the flight to Dallas.”
The Dallas Cup
The Dallas Cup has been played since 1980, although girl’s teams only returned to the tournament in 2021 after a break since 1996.
Several of the world’s most prestigious clubs have participated in the Dallas Cup, including Manchester United, Real Madrid, Barcelona, River Plate, “Chivas”, Flamengo, Boca Juniors, Club America, PSG, and AC Milan, among others.
The 2023 tournament boasted over 900 players from around the world, and the 2022 QATAR FIFA World Cup featured 50 Dallas Cup alumni either as players or referees.
The Australian School Girls competed in the U19 girls age group and were one of 10 teams that were split into three groups. Most of the teams were from America, but there was a Mexican team in the Australian group, and Everton FC sent their academy team to compete as well.
The American Olympic development squad was also part of the competition, and the Australians met them in the semi-final.
Wood spoke about the physical impacts of playing 5 games in just 6 days and also the different playing styles of teams from different countries.
“We played a game a day and then had a one-day rest before the semi-final and another day rest between the semi-final and the final. The load was actually alright because when you’re playing a game after a game your body doesn’t have the chance to adjust to what you’ve just done so you can recover and then quickly play the next game.
“There’s a lot of talk about there being a difference between the American style of playing and the Australian style but I honestly couldn’t tell once I was on the pitch but they’re definitely more physical. They’re athletes and that’s bred through the whole system and all the way through college. We felt we were technically better, but the size of them is a lot. Honestly, they’re a different breed! I played against a centre-back who must have been over 6 feet tall and she gave me a buffeting!
“The Mexicans were just ruthless! They’re small but they run all the time and were technically very good.”
The squad did exceptionally well during the tournament, topping their 4 team group with two wins and a draw, scoring five and conceding three. This booked their place in the semi-final where they faced the America Olympic development squad who they beat in a penalty shoot-out. The team then faced local Dallas side Solar ECNL RL 04G Williams who beat them 4-0 to claim the title.
Wood spoke about the final, which was played in the 20,500-seat capacity Toyota Stadium in Dallas, and the support the team received.
“We had a lot of parents travel with the group and we also had a massive support group with the host families who were part of the homestay program. They dressed up in Kangaroo outfits and had flags, it was so cool!
“For the game itself, we were missing a couple of key players but we just didn’t show up. It was a great experience to play at the Toyota Stadium in front of fans but we were just so tired from all the travel and touring. Solar had a great game though and you can’t take that away from them.”
The logistics of any tour are always complex and this trip was no different. The players were initially staying at a hotel for a week where they were buddied up, which was an important part of the team building. They were also playing warm-up matches against some college teams in preparation for the tournament. The coaching staff were incredibly busy in this period ensuring the players got into the habit of recovering properly and getting the right food back into themselves in readiness for the next game.
After that week though the players were then split into groups of four and were hosted by local families from the Solar team. T this was an experience that Wood really enjoyed.
“The families basically showed you around the ins and outs of Dallas and it was amazing and I think it was the best experience of it all.”
Being in an environment where she was surrounded by players from different States, Wood was able to gain valuable insights as to where she and her WA teammates sit in relationship to players such as junior Matildas Zoe Karipidis and Erin Gordon who were part of the squad and others from NSW NPLW squads.
“We’re up to their standard for sure, technically and fitness wise but it’s just they’ve got better competitions going around over there. They have NPLW, NPLW 1 and NPLW 2 plus the A league academies and it would be interesting to move over there and see how I would go.”
In terms of opportunities to improve herself, Wood saw the trip as an ideal way to get herself known. She was honest enough to admit that pathways for growth in WA are not as numerous as over East.
“I don’t think there are as many opportunities in WA, as the only pathway is Perth Glory and if they aren’t looking at you then you have no other options to look elsewhere.”
College System
The trip also provided Wood and her teammates with a close-up look at the college system in the USA as the squad was shown around colleges in the Dallas area.
“The facilities are great, but it would be full on for four years. A full fee would be around $130 000 per year but a scholarship would cover that. The program would also build you physically due to the demands of college football in America, but I’m definitely considering it now after our results have shown me where I’m at.”
For players such as Wood, the Australian Schoolgirls program has given them the opportunity through the Dallas Cup to be recognised on a wider scale and to potentially push them further in their careers as their name becomes known to scouts and coaches outside of their own home environment.
