This series, of course, represents the final international window the Matildas will get before the best of Asia descends next March for the Women’s Asian Cup. While Australia’s women have mostly played in mid-size stadiums in recent times – Hindmarsh is listed as having a 16,500 capacity, 15,000 of which are seated – Jack Snape detailed last week how organisers of that tournament feel vindicated for scheduling the Matildas in some of the country’s biggest stadia for next year’s tournament; Sarah Walsh, herself a former Matilda and now the chief operating officer for the Women’s Asian Cup declaring that the risk of scheduling the team in these large venues is “paying off”. Matildas bubble not burst yet, claims Asian Cup chief, as big venues approach sell-outs Read moreWalsh says that a major marketing campaign is planned in the coming weeks, and it will be interesting to see how that plays out in ticket sales for the games not involving the Matildas – organisers currently running a promotion offering a free junior ticket with every adult ticket purchased. Though the Matildas remain a brand that mostly creates its own demand, convincing the residents of Western Sydney to buy a ticket to see North Korea face Uzbekistan, or the citizens of Perth to head out to watch Chinese Taipei against Vietnam, might be a tougher ask. And in the A-League Women, we already have a case study in the halo surrounding Australia’s favourite football team not quite bathing others in the kind of light they’d be hoping for.
