The countdown is on to The Matildas’ blockbuster against the Philippines at Optus Stadium in Perth, in front of what could be a record crowd for women’s sport.
High demand for tickets for match two of the Olympics qualifiers saw the game moved to the larger venue, with 55,000 spectators expected to pack the stands later today.
And part of the appeal is the homegrown hero fans can’t wait to see – Sam Kerr.
“It was nice to score in front of family and friends but it was nice in to score in front of the Perth fans, to be honest,” Kerr said of game one at a pre-match press conference on Saturday.
“I feel like, we haven’t played here in a while I feel like, they’ve always been massive supporters.”
The Aussie skipper fronted the cameras ahead of the Matildas’ highly anticipated sell out game, which is tipped to break the record for the biggest women’s sport crowd in Australia, outside of the Olympics or a World Cup.
“I’ve always come here for the AFL,” Kerr said of the Perth stadium.
“So, it’s nice to kind of play here once and, yeah, I didn’t think we were gonna, you know, pack out Optus, so that’s a credit to all the fans.”
And the footballer isn’t the only one excited by the large crowds cheering on the team – tourism officials also happy with the popularity of the game.
“It’s great for Western Australia it brings locals in from the suburbs into town, sharing a wonderful experience together and then going out to our pubs, our restaurants,” Tourism Council WA’s CEO, Evan Hall, said.
While the Chelsea superstar says she’s happy to be home and keen to show her teammates the sites of Perth, she’s first focused on the challenge ahead, as the Matildas look to beat the Philippines – their biggest challenge for the Olympic qualifiers.
“Monday we might be able to go to the beach,” Kerr said.
“[The team have] obviously been doing the coffee spots [and] I’ve seen the fam a little bit but we’ve been pretty busy to be honest.”
The hometown hero also spoke of the recent honour of opening the Sam Kerr Football Centre, admitting it’s all still sinking in.
“I used to play in, you know, Sandy Pitches. So the fact that young girls and boys now have this home of football,” she said.
Now, fans are left counting down to the 3.10pm (6.10pm AEDT) kick-off.
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