FRIDAY FLASHBACK: Para Matildas

An early interview with members of the inaugural Para Matildas squad in 2022.

L-R: catching up with the Para Matildas at their cap presentation night at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium, and with squad members Georgia, Lainee, Rae at the NSW Champions of Sport 2022.

This week, the Para Matildas’ opponents for the IFCPF World Cup were announced at the tournament draw. The 2022 silver medallists will clash with defending champions USA, as well as Ireland, Japan and Denmark in the round robin tournament.

Also this week, the 2023 Para Football National Championships are on in Canberra, with some members of the Para Matildas such Tahlia Blanshard and goalkeeper Katelyn Smith and the men’s Pararoos taking part, as the various states compete to become Australian champions.

The inception of the Para Matildas and Pararoos in 2022 was the result of years of hard work by many people to create senior national teams for athletes with Acquired Brain Injury, Cerebral Palsy and Symptoms of Stroke.

The Para Matildas’ inaugural squad had an immediate impact, making the final of the inaugural World Cup, winning the NSW Champions of Sport Award for Team of the Year with a Disability, while the players were presented their Matildas caps in a ceremony before a Matildas game against Canada at a packed Allianz Stadium in Sydney.

Below is part of HER WAY’s chat with team members Georgia Beikoff and Rae Anderson, both Paralympians, plus Lainee Harrison, at the NSW Champions of Sport Awards night in late 2022.