Imagine if someone told you those same Matildas, playing behind closed doors on a field surrounded by the AIS athletics track, would one day be a box office hit.
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That their game would be the most-watched television program of the entire year. At least until their next one.
That record crowds would charge to their seats, that Matildas jerseys would outsell Socceroos shirts by two to one.
The Matildas who played New Zealand behind closed doors on a Thursday night in Canberra 10 years ago? And when they opened the doors for another game three days later, little more than 2000 turned up at McKellar Park?
The very same.
Sam Kerr came off the bench that night in 2013. Now she is among Australia's most marketable athletes and one of the most exciting players on the planet. Oh, and as for all that stuff about record television figures and massive crowds? The Matildas have done most of it without her on the park.
Which makes you wonder just how good this Australian team can really be as they edge closer to lifting the FIFA Women's World Cup on home soil.
The Matildas' 2-0 win over Denmark on Monday night in the round of 16 was the highest-rating television program of 2023.
The win which sends the Australians into the quarter-finals drew a five-city metro audience of 2.294 million viewers on Channel Seven, according to ratings agency OzTam.
The figure eclipses the 1.98 million that watched the opening game of this year's State of Origin series, and tops the metro mark of 2.179 million set by the 2022 AFL grand final.
A crowd of 75,784 erupted when Caitlin Foord found the back of the net in the 29th minute on Monday night. The dust in the rafters of Stadium Australia shook when Hayley Raso scored her third goal in two games to all but secure Australia's place in the quarter-finals.
As for those who didn't get a ticket? Well, 774,000 Sydneysiders tuned into Seven's coverage, as did 666,000 in Melbourne while Brisbane recorded 347,000.
The figures do not account for viewers who watched the game on streaming service Optus Sport, which has also been broadcasting World Cup matches, which means the total number of viewers would be even higher.
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Emily van Egmond's name is trending on Twi... er, X. So are those of outgoing United States star Megan Rapinoe and England's Lauren James, whose tournament might also be over after being sent off in a win over Nigeria.
Watch parties have been hosted everywhere from Garema Place in Canberra to Tumbalong Park at Darling Harbour and Melbourne's Federation Square.
"There's very few things in modern life these days that the community will watch and celebrate together. They're rare," RMIT's sport marketing expert Con Stavros said.
"These big events capture those moments and unite people behind one purpose which is a positive."
Reams of copy have been dedicated to the Matildas, telling tales of where they have come from and daring to dream of just where they will end up.
Steph Catley played in those aforementioned games in 2013, long before most would have imagined the prospect of her signing with one of the sport's biggest clubs in Arsenal.
The Matildas' star power goes beyond a few names. Raso is bound for Real Madrid. Alanna Kennedy plays at Manchester City, and Kerr at Chelsea. Mary Fowler is already adored by a nation at 20 years old.
"Mary has been class this whole tournament," Matildas star Caitlin Foord said. "She has unbelievable talent and we're very lucky to have her."
The Matildas have never gone beyond the quarter-finals at the World Cup. They return to that stage in Brisbane on Saturday evening, three wins away from winning the unforgettable tournament.
"We're a genuine chance to win. We can't often say that," Stavros said.
Now imagine that.
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