They were the team that captured the hearts of the nation, and arguably the world, in 2023. When the Matildas went on their historic 2023 FIFA World Cup run, right here in their home country, there wasn’t an eye that missed their incredible tenacity, skill, and sportsmanship that took them all the way to the semi-final of the world’s game.
But even though the celebrations of the Matildas’ success were absolutely warranted, it didn’t come easy. In fact, there was decades of foundations set by women who worked incredibly hard, through many different paths of adversity, to put the Matildas on the map.
Created by an all-female production crew, Trailblazers showcases the journey of the Australian women’s football team, the Matildas. Through interviews with past and present players, this documentary takes the audience on the journey from the Matildas first FIFA recognised game in 1979, the years in which women had to pay-to-play for the team, the equal pay strike of 2015, the heartbreak of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and the iconic 2023 FIFA World Cup run.
Trailblazers offers an intimate and fascinating look into how the journey was paved by allowing past players such as Julie Dolan, Karen Menzies, and Heather Reid, alongside former Matildas coach Craig Foster, and current Matildas Sam Kerr and Mary Fowler, plus many more, to open up about the struggles along the way, but also the unbreakable bond that was formed by the teams over the years, as the players united to push through the adversity together.
Adversity came in many forms for the Matildas, including going from having to pay-to-play to represent their country, or work full-time jobs because the pay was far too little, to having to sell a now infamous nude-calendar of the team to fundraise when Government funding would not come through.
In modern times, all of the things the Matildas have had to go through to get to where they are now, are truly atrocious, and this documentary does not shy away from them. However, at its core, this is a triumphant story of the power of unity within the team, the tenacity of each individual who has had the honour of being called a Matilda, and how there is still a way to go in order to really show this team the respect they deserve.
Clocking in at around 45 minutes, the major flaw with Trailblazers is that it covers a vast amount of time and events with rapid pace. Each story arc and event this documentary covers always has a fascinating hook, but never feels like it explores them enough to really feel attached to a certain one.
There is almost 50 years of Matildas history being covered in Trailblazers, and 45 minutes is not enough time to do that. If this was a mini-series with each episode covering a decade, or even each major turning point in the history of the Matildas, it would allow some breathing room to allow the emotional hooks to really sink in.
While Trailblazers follows the journey of the Matildas in an intriguing and fascinating way, the rapid run time doesn’t allow for any moment to feel truly explored enough to emphasise the hard-knocks the Australian women’s football team really went through to get where they are today.
Trailblazers is streaming on Stan from June 4.
