FFA: Socceroos and Matildas are an equal priority. Right?
Well, the Matildas lost yesterday, so are almost certainly out of the Olympics.
I've followed the Matildas from a far over the last few years, so I'm no expert. Getting to see any footage from their games is near on impossible.
So with that in mind, here's Football in the Capital's assessment of where the Matildas are at.
Firstly, it's disappointing for any Australian not to make an Olympic games in any sport. Some players may never get another chance. So perhaps the one good thing about yesterdays loss is the timing.
The Matildas are going to the World Cup in September in China, and if that doesn't quickly help to erase the disappointment of yesterdays loss then probably nothing will.
Also, it must be said while Coach Tom Sermanni prepared the team well for the Korean games a lack of a national league and competitive international games cannot help the team or coach.
The Korean side don't have a national league either, but the team live together 24/7 and that can make a big difference to skill levels and fitness. I think it showed.
Sermanni is proud of his team. And he should be, there were some excellent signs.
Given we were playing against the top side of the world, then the Maitildas shouldn't be too concerned.
Their performances at the Asia Cup in Adelaide and other international results should give them
confidence for a good performance at the World Cup.
The structure of the team was sound. We had three forwards in a bid to win the game, therefore it was always going to be a little problematic in midfield against a 4 woman Korean midfield. So it proved.
Lisa De Vanna, Jo Peters, Cheryl Salisbury, Thea Slatyer were standouts for me.
Long term injuries to Sally Shipard and Caitlin Munoz probably reduced their impact and revealed the lack of depth in the women's game in Australia.
Australia has many, many junior players, but the level of football is still developing. Getting enough players of quality to improve the pool of players pushing for selection remains a goal of the FFA.
This should change as structures are improved with the soon to be released FFA technical report. But don't hold you're breathe. With limited funds I expect the FFA will still focus on the men's game more.
Also Asia membership is a great thing for Australian football. But the women are competing against some of the strongest sides in the World to get to the Olympic games and World Cup.
It's probably only a matter of time before the Socceroos feel the pain of missing out on a major tournament due to the rising standard of Asian football.
But the Matildas have qualified through Asia for the World Cup, albeit through a tournament on home soil.
The Matildas, ranked 14, can look forward to producing a strong performance in the World Cup. Their group will be tough, with Norway, Ghana and Canada, but it's a World Cup so we expect no easy games.
At the moment to be a Matilda means dedication, loss of earnings, maybe loss of career opportunities.
We need a National League, in some format. We need to improve the State leagues. We need to raise the profile of the Matildas so more girls want to improve their standard of skills. There are lots of social players, but when they see what they can achieve with the Matildas there desire to improve as individuals will follow.
Imagine what Sermanni could do if he had 7 million players to choose from like they do in the USA. Clearly the Matildas are a remarkable group of players who are achieving way beyond some of their opponents.
Their passion and desire to play football has earned them a World Cup place.
Cheryl Salisbury notes the changes to the technical skills and dedication of the young players coming through.
Salisbury and others will surely add their experience to future generations through coaching. Salisbury herself was coached by men who had played or a parent who had some time.
As girls become women, and players become coaches, the standard and number of female role models will assist the game.
The Matildas achievements have been good, but of course the game doesn't stop still. And Australia always have a desire to see their teams at the top of their sport, no matter what extraneous factors are involved. With more countries playing more competitive football the Matildas task will get harder not easier. The FFA need to consider the women's game as a priority alongside the Socceroos.
Sure the Socceroos bring in the most money and, of course, they are important to the profile of the game. But not at the expense of the Matildas.
On the basis on numbers of girls playing alone, not to mention the amount of women involved in running teams, washing shirts and administering clubs across Australia, the FFA should put the men and female versions of the game on an equal footing.
Fair go Australia. The Matildas should be the best known female stars in the country.
It is the FFA's responsibilty to develop a strategy to get them there.
Disagree? Let me know what you think. Fire away:)
SBS will have LIVE coverage of the team’s matches against Chinese Taipei on Sunday 12 August. The match will be shown LIVE as “The World Game” weekly Football Feature from 3:00pm.
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