Australia Women's National Football team, fondly known as the Matildas, embarked on a journey to claim only their second-ever AFC Women's Asian Cup title, twelve years on from securing their maiden trophy in the tournament in China.
Although Australia faced defeat in their Quarterfinal encounter against South Korea on Sunday, the Matildas haven't lacked their much-renowned home support here in India.
"It is an amazing feeling to see the Australian players and some of the best players in the world up close - South Korea is one of the best teams in the world as well. My background is in physical education and I have been a sportsperson all my life, and even though it's (football) not the same sport as I play, I understand the journey that all these players go through as individuals," Australia's supporter Jodie O'Reilly said in a statement.
Speaking about the advanced grassroots program in Australia for women's football, O'Reilly said, "Australia loves sports to begin with. It doesn't matter which sport it is. As soon as we enjoy success in any sport, we see the grassroots programs in that particular sport developing rapidly."
"So as soon as the spotlight is on a sport at the top level, we see the money and resources filter down right to the foundation in the grassroots. Another reason for the development in sports is that young kids are encouraged to start at a very early age - whether it is 7, 8, or 9-years-old. This culture is one of the reasons that the women's football team has performed well in the recent years," she added.
"Another reason is that football is a very popular sport in terms of participation numbers. For women players, cricket used to be more popular earlier, but football has surpassed cricket in that regard I think," said Jodie.
( With inputs from ANI )
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