‘Nothing short of farcical’: Matildas alumni at war over FA’s history U-turn

Matildas legend Julie Dolan has slammed a decision by Football Australia to recognise the side that competed at a tournament in Hong Kong in 1975 as the ‘first Matildas’ as a farce and an insult to all players who have earned selection for the national team.

A long-standing dispute within the women’s soccer community in Australia has erupted after FA moved to award the 16 members of the team – which was almost entirely drawn from the St George Budapest club, but travelled to the 1975 Asian Cup Ladies Football Tournament and competed in Australian colours – with ‘A’ international caps on the recommendation of a panel of four overseas-based experts.

Julie Dolan will no longer be able to call herself the inaugural Matildas captain after a controversial decision by Football Australia.

Dolan was the youngest member of that team, aged just 14, and the only one to have also played in the Matildas team that faced New Zealand four years later in 1979 – which was, until now, regarded as Australia’s first ‘A’ international fixture in women’s soccer.

She also captained that team and thus is the holder of cap No.1, an elevated status which has led to prominent roles in FA and FIFA activities at World Cup events. Now, however, Pat O’Connor – who wore the armband in Hong Kong – will be regarded as the Matildas’ first captain in FA’s official records, not Dolan.

The issue revolves around whether the 1975 team should be regarded as fully-fledged internationals because of the absence of a competitive selection process. St George Budapest were invited to play at the tournament and had gained permission from Sir Arthur George, the chair of the FIFA-affiliated Australian Soccer Federation, to wear the national colours and coat of arms – although the ASF had no involvement at the time with the women’s game, which was run by the Australian Women’s Soccer Association, formed a year earlier.

Julie Dolan in action against New Zealand in 1979.

Dolan said the team was essentially transplanted from a Sydney competition, that players were simply told one night at training they would be travelling to Hong Kong, and that no opportunity to be selected was afforded to anyone else. FA has previously declined to assign the team ‘A’ international status for this reason – although in May 2022, they did offer the players unnumbered caps and inclusion the federation’s official records in a nod to their pioneering roles as the first women’s team to represent Australia in an internationally sanctioned tournament.

However, the ’1975ers’ declined the offer and last year, in the lead-up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup, engaged in an ambush marketing campaign with Puma, a direct rival to FA’s apparel sponsor Nike, which hailed them as the ‘OGs’ – because FA had legally blocked them from using the term ‘Matildas’.

Less than 12 months later, FA’s sudden about-face has shocked many ex-players within the ‘Matildas Alumni’ network, including Dolan, who has released a statement saying the decision “makes a mockery” of the selection process and was “nothing short of farcical.”

In a separate interview with this masthead, Dolan said she had previously declined to comment publicly because, the last time she did, two of her siblings were verbally abused by people within the women’s soccer community due to her position.

“Despite having been through two board processes, where it was decided, OK, we’re not recognising you as the first Matildas ... now we’ve got another review which has turned everything on its head,” Dolan said.

Sophie Harding is the most recent winner of the Julie Dolan Medal, presented to the A-League Women’s best player.

“The selection of a national team in any other sport is based on trials, on who’s best at the time, or who’s considered the best. It’s not picked in a dimly lit park on a Friday night in Penshurst, NSW with no offer whatsoever to anybody else to be included.

“What does it say to all those people that have gone through due process to be selected for their country? It really devalues that, in my estimation. I mean, what is the purpose of this? This is our governing body. How are we supposed to, as national team players, have any faith in the governing body that made this decision? I know there’s a lot of people within that organisation [FA] that battled so hard to not have this happen. It’s very hard when you sit outside those organisations to know just whose agenda is on the table.”

Dolan said she would reject FA’s offer of a new cap, all 16 of which will be numbered ‘0’, so as to not disrupt the established order of caps; many players treasure their cap numbers and get them tattooed onto their skin.

Greg Werner, a soccer historian and co-author of the Encyclopedia of Matildas, said the decision had opened up a Pandora’s Box because two of the 16 players had not even made it onto the park in 1975, but were now considered ‘A’ internationals. As such, Werner said others who have sat on the bench for the Matildas but never earned an official cap could now have legitimate cases to prosecute with FA.

“It’s puzzling to say the least,” Werner said.

“This was rejected last year. We have had the change of [FA] chair, Chris [Nikou] left, and it’s back on the agenda and obviously, the numbers are there for it to be driven through. I haven’t seen any evidence that would make me change my mind. Had there been evidence given to me, maybe it would have, but I haven’t seen anything yet.”

The four experts commissioned by FA for the latest review are Alex Phillips, administrator of the FIFA World Remission Fund and former Head of Governance and Compliance at UEFA; Dr. Kevin Tallec Marston, research fellow and academic project manager at the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES); Omar Ongaro, former chair of the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber; and Richard Scott, former director of communication at Canada Soccer and football historian.

A spokesperson for FA said it had sought a different perspective on the matter than in previous reviews due to movements in other countries regarding historical national team selection policies. The new panel of experts focused on six different criteria, including whether they played against other recognised national teams, and their uniform and insignia. The outcome is in line with how the original Socceroos of 1922 were acknowledged, FA said, and has been unanimously endorsed by the board.

Anter Isaac, who has served as FA chairman since December, said the recognition was “long overdue”, while O’Connor said she was “deeply honoured and thrilled” by FA’s move.

“This acknowledgment and recognition as the ‘First Matildas’ not only celebrate our efforts and dedication but also cements our place in Australian football history as the pioneers of the women’s game,” O’Connor said.

“It is a moment of immense pride for all of us, and I am grateful for the recognition of our contributions to the sport we love.”