2 weeks Ago By Madeline Hislop
They are ranked the best in the world, so could we see the ParaMatildas bring home the gold at the 2024 IFCPF World Cup in Spain? It’s quite possible, with the team already claiming an in their first game of the tournament. “This is the best we’ve ever looked as a team,” player Rae Anderson told before leaving Australia for Spain. “We mesh together so well on and off the field – I’ve just never seen us all playing individually so well.
So to come together for this World Cup is just really exciting. “I know, even just for myself, this has been one of the best lead up to an international tournament I’ve had.” Australia’s ParaMatildas are Australia’s national team for women and girls with cerebral palsy, acquired brain injury and symptoms of stroke.
The team played in their first World Cup in 2022, coming in second place behind the US, and are now back on the international stage looking to go one better in Spain. In 2023, the ParaMatildas won the gold medal at the Para Asian Cup. “We’re going into this ranked number one internationally, having had such a successful Asian Cup and so many camps leading into this tournament,” Anderson says.
“We’re really prepared, mentally, physically, socially, and we’re really excited to see what we can do.” Anderson, 27, is a multi-talented athlete and one of just seven Australian athletes to have competed at both the Summer and Winter Paralympics. She’s excelled across field events like javelin and discus throw, before making the switch to alpine skiing.
Anderson went on to commit to football and is now a key player in the ParaMatildas. She says football was always her first sporting love. “I started sport a bit later in life, just because of all the surgeries that I had.
My parents were very encouraging of having a team sport because of the social skills that you get from being in a team and the community that you create,” she says. “So for me, I was always a team sports player, and then it wasn’t until I found out about Paralympic sports that I did pursue athletics and alpine skiing. But my first love was always soccer and being a part of that team and being with my mates on the weekend.
” As one of Australia’s most successful para-athletes, Anderson says she’s seen a lot of change over the past five years and is stoked to see more athletes with disabilities get sponsorships and endorsements. “The way that people can market para-athletes is something that’s really unique, and it’s also great to see that exposure well,” she said. “It’s not just about having the athletes endorsed, it’s about the opportunities that it creates for young generations being able to see that.
It’s really exciting.” Catch the ParaMatildas in their next game against the US on Sunday (17 November) at 12.15am (AEDT) on Football Australia’s YouTube Channel.
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