Almost a year on from the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the Matildas remain the hottest ticket in Australian sport.

The ‘Tillies’ tidal wave has crashed through the Australian cultural landscape and in its wake, women’s football is flourishing like never before.

But for some of Australia’s “other” national women’s football teams, breaking new ground is proving anything but straightforward.

On June 3, the Australian Deaf women’s football team took on the USA in Denver, Colorado.

Lit by a sparkling early summer sun, it was the first time an official Deaf football match had been broadcast on American television.

Unfortunately, it didn’t end well for the Australians.

They conceded 11 unanswered goals to a rampant US team who, in addition to their four Deaflympic titles and three Deaf world championships, have only ever lost one game.

But for Justeen Kruger, who plays in goal for the Australian team, merely making it to Colorado was a win in itself.

In Australia, Deaf football struggles for funding. So, despite her team receiving some assistance from the US Soccer Federation, Kruger’s passage to the “Land of the Free” was anything but.

“If I wasn’t playing on the weekend, I was either working, getting another shift or out selling raffle tickets,” Kruger said.

This is also a landmark year for the Australian women’s blind football team.

Come December, they will be touching down in Japan for what will be their first-ever international tour.

Bess Hepworth is the coach of the squad. Her team received a grant from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) for their upcoming trip, but funding is also an issue for her sport.

With the squad spread across the country and only able to meet a few times a year, her training sessions are largely confined to group chats and video recordings.

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