Disney+ Launch New Documentary Series On Australian Women’s National Team

A new six-part documentary series on the Australian national women’s soccer team, popularly known as The Matildas, is out to stream on Disney+ from today aiming to shine a light on the struggles the players have faced ahead of hosting the Women’s World Cup.

Following on from the lead of a similar series created by WarnerBros on the German Women’s National Team released last year, “Matildas: The World At Their Feet” is billed as “an inspirational and intimate behind-the-scenes story of the CommBank Matildas – Australia’s women’s national football team.”

A year in the making, it follows the team in the Asian Cup at the start of 2022 followed by one of the heaviest defeats in their history and how they eventually set about turning a poor set of results around as they build up to co-hosting the Women’s World Cup finals with New Zealand this summer.

National team captain, Sam Kerr is predictably prominent in the series, coming to terms with Australia’s surprise elimination in the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup. During that tournament she became her country’s all-time leading goalscorer, overtaking Tim Cahill, who scored 50 goals for the men’s team.

This lead to a headline in the Australian Telegraph claiming the Chelsea striker’s goals were ‘not equal’ to Cahill’s which prompted an angry Kerr to say “I cannot believe, in this day and age, someone could write this and have young girls read it.” Speaking about the series, Kerr admitted, “it’s been an incredible experience sharing our journeys with Disney+, both on the field and off, and I can’t wait for the world to see our true love, dedication and passion for the game and our country.”

James Johnson, the CEO of Football Australia added that “the release of the Matildas: The World At Their Feet is a momentous occasion and culmination of a long-term project that takes the world behind the curtain and into the dressing room, team rooms and living rooms of a much beloved team.”

“Partnering with the Walt Disney
DIS
Company was a key strategic imperative of Football Australia to build our already highly regarded national teams into truly iconic brands that have national and international resonance, and the response already demonstrates that the CommBank Matildas have that unique transcendent quality.”

Key storylines featured in the series include the long rehabilitation of full back Ellie Carpenter from the anterior cruciate ligament injury she suffered during the UEFA Champions League Final, the pregnancy and return to competitive action of midfielder Katrina Gorry as well as striker Emily Gielnik opening up about coming out to her Croatian family as she prepares to propose to her long-term girlfriend.

“Matildas: The World at their feet depicts the story, triumphs and challenges of these wonderful group of women – on and off the pitch” said Johnson. “On the pitch it also demonstrates in the real time the importance of the strategic decisions we made to ensure best preparation for the team for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, including making complex decisions to manage calendar congestion and player welfare during a congested March to June 2022 period.”

On June 25, 2022, an experimental Australian side were dismantled by Spain, losing 7-0 in Huelva. At the end of the match, Head Coach Tony Gustavsson gathered his understrength squad in the middle and said to the players, “we came here for a reason. We came here to learn something. We may have lost the game, but we win an experience. If we win one player for the World Cup roster in 2023, it’s worth it. I promise you it was worth it.”

In January, the teams met again in Sydney, with Australia triumphing 3-2 to win the four-team Cup of Nations on home soil. This month, The Matildas followed up on that result with a 2-0 win away to European champions England, ending the host’s 30-match unbeaten run. The second goal was scored by Charlotte Grant, one of the young players who came in for the 7-0 defeat to Spain the previous year.

As Johnson explained, “understanding the need to invest in the building of depth in the team directly resulted in the emergence of players like Charli Grant and Cortnee Vine who are featured in the documentary. Scheduling more matches against top ten and European nations and providing the Australian public with multiple avenues and opportunities to see the team were all part of our fundamental re-imagining of what the CommBank Matildas could be and mean to the nation. It was a challenge to the marketplace around how we validate the value of women and girls in sport and in our society and I am pleased to see the extremely positive reaction in Australia and globally.”

All six episodes will premiere on April 26 on Disney+