The day Katie and Ella met the Tillies
The CommBank Matildas are an inspiration to Australians young and old. The barriers they have stared down, and their never-say-die attitude, resonates strongly with millions of fans.
Two of those fans were lucky enough to meet their heroes last week thanks to the Starlight Children’s Foundation and Make-A-Wish Australia.
16-year-old Ella is a massive CommBank Matildas fan who is currently fighting acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), which is a type of blood cancer. The avid footballer has been watching the team since she was five years old and being able to watch them while she was undergoing treatment has been a huge boost.
“For the past year I’ve missed out on doing so many things, and then I’ve always watched them on TV and in the games and been like, I want to be like them,” she explained.
“I really think it’s cool how they make people feel when you watch them, they’re someone you can get behind. You celebrate with them. Sometimes when they lose, you feel these emotions and I really like how they’ve got the whole country behind them.”
She had the opportunity to meet her heroes in Perth, including Clare Polkinghorne, Ellie Carpenter, Emily van Egmond, Alex Chidiac and Charli Grant, and received a signed shirt from the team.
“I’ve always wanted to meet the Matildas - I’ve gone to the majority of their games when they’ve been happening in Melbourne - and they made it happen, which is pretty awesome,” she said. “I’m slightly starstruck by them all, but yeah, it’s been really cool.”
Her favourite player is Katrina Gorry, who plays in midfield, and sometimes in the ‘6’ role – defensive midfield – which is the same position as Ella. She said that she was surprised she didn’t freeze when she got to meet ‘Mini!’
“Whenever she’s on the pitch she’s just very in control and always a standout player to me, how she controls the midfield area,” she explained. “And she also sometimes plays ‘6’ like me. She’s also got a really, really strong kick… [her kicks] didn’t really seem possible but she managed to do it!”
Katie from Tasmania also got to meet the squad in Perth. The 15-year-old was diagnosed at birth with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy which severely impacts her ability to play her favourite sport – football.
“I was born with a heart condition, pretty serious,” she explained. “To be able to play soccer I have to have a defibrillator with me just in case.”
She’s been following them since she started high school, when she began to take playing football more seriously.
“It’s really meaningful [to meet the Matildas] because football is my life, I do it during the season most days of the week,” she said. “The Matildas are a team I really look up to.”
Her favourite player is the maverick midfielder Alex Chidiac. She got to meet Chidiac and have a conversation with her, which she said was a dream come true.
“I’m really happy I got to meet her,” she exclaimed. “We just talked about what positions we play, and about how she started when she was around my age. She said that her grandma has a pacemaker in as well.”
Both girls spoke about why the CommBank Matildas meant so much to them.
“They’ve pushed through all these boundaries for female sport,” explained Ella. “I remember ever since I was a little kid looking up to them and thinking maybe one day, I could be like them… it’s really cool to have someone that you can idolise and support and watch do amazing things.”
Katie agreed. “They just inspire me because obviously they’re females, and having a bigger stage than any male football team, especially at the World Cup, is really inspiring,” she said. “Showing that girls can do things too.”
Thanks to the Starlight Children’s Foundation, Make-A-Wish Australia and the CommBank Matildas, the teenagers had the experience of meeting the players that they’ll never forget.
