When it was announced that the CommBank Matildas would play against China PR in Adelaide in May, Hayley Raso had a mischievous thought.
Securing a game in Adelaide had been a long-time campaign for Adelaide local Charli Grant. Why couldn’t she do the same for her hometown as well?
“If we complain as much as Charli Grant, will we get a Tillies game on the Gold Coast?” she jokingly tweeted, tagging fellow Gold Coast locals Mackenzie Arnold and Tameka Yallop.
Now the time has finally arrived, with the CommBank Matildas set to play their first-ever game on the Gold Coast against Olympic silver medallists, Brazil, on Sunday, 1 December.
“I’ve been pushing for a Tillies game on the Gold Coast for so long!” she exclaimed after the announcement.
“I’ve been giving people a bit of stick, especially Charli, because she kept asking for games in Adelaide. We’ve had games in Adelaide before, but we haven’t had one on the Gold Coast.
“There’s a few of us Gold Coast girls in the team, and we really wanted to get a game there. It’s a bit of banter, a bit of a joke, but I’m actually so happy that we finally got it. I'm delighted," she reiterated.
The November/December window will see two games played outside of capital cities in the Gold Coast and Geelong.
Raso said that it is important for as many people as possible to watch the side play – but she also hoped that visitors could enjoy everything that her hometown has to offer.
“I know that there are a lot of fans out there from the Gold Coast who will finally be able to see us play in my hometown,” she said.
“But also for other people coming to visit, the Gold Coast is such a beautiful place – the beaches, the food, the lifestyle. Hopefully a lot of people can come up there and experience what the Gold Coast is all about.”
The first game in the window will be played at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Thursday, 28 November.
It is a stadium with some very recent happy memories for the CommBank Matildas, most notably defeating France on penalties in the quarter-final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™.
“I still get goosebumps when I think about that match,” Raso recalled.
“It was so important to win it, and the way that we won was just amazing. I think the whole of Australia got behind us after that. The memories we have there are incredible.
“To think that we’ll be heading back there, able to play in front of all of those fans again, it’s just so exciting.”
The moment of the winning penalty has been immortalised in bronze at Suncorp Stadium. It was unveiled during the announcement of the games against Brazil and is something that Raso said was “so special.”
“My brother was there, I saw a whole bunch of other Tillies' families too,” she revealed.
“It was special that they were able to be there and see it, and I think even more special that we’re actually there at the front of that stadium.”
It was announced recently that Tom Sermanni would be the interim Head Coach for the CommBank Matildas. Raso was given her debut under Sermanni back in 2012 and described him as the “perfect appointment” for the interim.
Looking ahead to the games, she said that while Brazil always gave them a tough battle, the team were looking forward to testing themselves against them.
“We know it’s going to be a really tough game,” she said.
“They just competed so well at the Olympics, but I remember playing them at the World Cup a number of years ago now, [in 2019], and that was such an intense, tough game.
“We know when we play against them, it’s always a challenge, but I think it’s time that we step up. We’ll be looking to prove a point and play well in that match.”
COMMBANK MATILDAS | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 INTERNATIONALS
CommBank Matildas v Brazil
Date: Thursday, 28 November 2024
Kick-off: 8:00pm local / 9:00pm AEDT
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Broadcast: 10, 10 Bold, 10Play & Paramount+
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CommBank Matildas v Brazil
Date: Sunday, 1 December 2024
Kick-off: 6:35pm local / 7:35pm AEDT
Venue: Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast
Broadcast: 10, 10 Bold, 10Play & Paramount+
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CommBank Matildas v Chinese Taipei
Date: Wednesday, 4 December 2024
Kick-off: 8.00pm AEDT
Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne
Broadcast: 10, 10 Bold, 10Play & Paramount+
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CommBank Matildas v Chinese Taipei
Date: Saturday, 7 December 2024
Kick-off: 7.30pm AEDT
Venue: GMHBA Stadium, Geelong
Broadcast: 10, 10 Bold, 10Play & Paramount+
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