Kerr leads call for more funding after WWC loss

Sam Kerr and Steph Catley have said that Australia are at the point where they can consistently challenge for major international tournaments but that a funding model that “isn’t really good enough” needs to change to keep them there.

Australia’s quest to secure a World Cup on home soil was dashed at the hands of England on Wednesday evening as goals from Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp, and Alessia Russo cancelled out a Kerr wonder strike and lifted Sarina Wiegman’s side to a 3-1 win.

While the triumph finally sent England into the final in what was their third-straight semifinal appearance, Australia has now fallen at the final hurdle in their last two major tournaments: defeated by the Sweden in the semis of the Tokyo Olympics and now England at a home World Cup.

“We are there, we’re right there,” a dejected Kerr told reporters “But you know, we need… I think there’s so much and I think for that I can only speak for the Matildas; we need funding in our development. We need funding in our grassroots. We need funding. We need funding everywhere.

“The comparison to other sports isn’t really good enough. And hopefully, this tournament kind of changes that because that’s the legacy you leave not what you do on the pitch. The legacy is what you do off the pitch. And hopefully, I mean, it’s hard to talk about now, but hopefully that this is the start of something new.”

For Catley, who has served as Australia’s captain during Kerr’s absences through the tournament with a calf injury, the manner in which the World Cup has been able to capture the imagination of the Australian public proves that there is an appetite for football.