'Crazy' list of perks Matildas were once denied

Eight years after she “panicked” at her first Olympic Games, Michelle Heyman struggled to comprehend the new landscape.

The Matildas striker has the potential to be one of the best Australian stories of Paris 2024, having ended a five year retirement to answer an SOS following superstar Sam Kerr’s season ending knee injury.

The likeable 35-year-old was the most sought after of the 10 uniform modelling athletes made available to media 100 days out from the Games.

Michelle Heyman poses during the uniform launch at Clovelly Surf Club.

The Kerr effect and a transformational run at the 2023 FIFA World Cup – which Heyman was not a part of – has rocketed the Matildas to being probably Australia’s most beloved sports team.

And the treatment the players get is unrecognisable from when Heyman made her senior national debut way back in 2010.

“Business flights now, we’re not in economy,” Heyman began when asked to list the perks now afforded to a Matildas player.

“You get to sleep in your own room, without a roommate. The quality of recovery, they really care about your recovery side of things. So we have the ice baths, we have the protein, we have like 26 staff.

“I think back in the day we had 10 if we were lucky. So now there’s pretty much one staff per person if you really thought about it. They’ve set you up to be successful within the Matildas and you can see that now.

“Sometimes it takes a bit of money to invest in women’s sport to see a great outcome. So I feel very privileged, very honoured to be a part of that. It’s crazy.

“It’s wild to see how much it’s changed.”

Heyman reflected on how home crowds had swelled from 5000 to 55,000 and had shared the experience with former teammate and good friend Sally Shipard, who is battling a rare form of ovarian cancer.

“She always asks what the Matildas is like these days compared to when we were all back there. She’s blown away… the change within camp life and how we’re all treated is just next level compared to where we were back in the day.”

Heyman has scored 25 goals in 63 appearances for Australia.

The Canberra United star is adamant she is a much better player than at her previous Olympics in 2016.

“I think Rio I panicked, you know, it’s quite scary going to an Olympics and I think when you’re younger, that is a little bit overwhelming,” she admitted.

Australia’s Michelle Heyman at Rio 2016.

“Knowing that when you’re at an Olympics too, there’s fans everywhere screaming at you. But now it comes with age, I just feel so comfortable and confident within my own skin that when I get out on the field, I don’t even notice anyone else. I’m just doing the things that I need to be doing to win games.”

The Matildas reached the quarter-finals in Rio but were beaten by hosts Brazil on penalties.

“During that time in my life, I wanted more out of my performance and I didn’t achieve what I wanted,” Heyman said.

“I scored some goals but I didn’t score as many as I wanted. We didn’t win a medal, we didn’t do the things that I wanted to do. And I thought that was going to be my last Olympics… I want to do more and I want to make sure that I’m performing at the best of my ability.”