It’s the time of the year when men’s footy finals dominate the sporting landscape but arguably the hottest ticket in Sydney this weekend – the Matildas’ eagerly-anticipated friendly with Brazil in Penrith – is breaking that mould.

Attendances for the opening week of the NRL finals were dismal in Sydney but there have been no problems selling tickets to watch the women’s national football team play their South American rivals at Pepper Stadium – the 17,000 allocation was snapped up two weeks in advance of Saturday’s afternoon kick-off.

The sellout has created a clamour for tickets rarely seen for women’s football in Australia, with disappointed fans who missed out desperately seeking to get a slice of the action by searching out resale tickets at vastly inflated prices.

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One avid Matildas follower who posted on a classified ad site was willing to pay $100 for a single $20 ticket for the game in Penrith. Another was offering $140 for four tickets.

Mark Slocum, a teacher from Sydney, said he knew the $150 he offered for four tickets was over the odds, but he felt the outlay would be worth it, not just for the entertainment he and his family would enjoy, but also for his daughters to see their role models in the flesh.

“I know it was a stupid offer,” Slocum said after securing the tickets from a man who had double-booked with a 40th birthday party. “I felt silly because I’ve just been too bloody slow to act.

“But you’re taking your daughter to a packed stadium to watch an international football match. Whatever happens it’s going to be a bloody brilliant experience.”

Slocum said his 10-year-old daughter had become stronger and more confident in all aspects of life since she had been playing football.

“This is a great way to show her strong women in action,” he said. “I thought it would be an inspiration for her.

“I don’t have high hopes of her becoming a Matilda herself but I want her to be a strong thinking and independent young woman. I think the sport is giving that to her.”

Saturday’s 3pm kick-off in Penrith will draw the biggest standalone women’s football match attendance in Australia. There have been bigger crowds, but for double-headers with men’s matches, such as at the 2000 Olympic Games football tournament.



At the time of writing, more than 10,000 tickets had been sold for the second of the two fixtures against Brazil – in Newcastle next Tuesday night – with FFA expecting that figure to swell to 15,000.

Interest in the Matildas has soared since they won the Tournament of Nations last month, beating the world champions the US and posting convincing wins over heavyweight pair Japan and Brazil to announce themselves as real contenders for next year’s Asian Cup and the 2019 World Cup.

That success prompted calls for fans to get behind the growth of the women’s game, not merely by championing the team from the comfort of sofas, but by putting actual bums on seats at grounds. Those calls have so far been met.

A Football Federation Australia spokesperson told Guardian Australia: “The Matildas have captured the public’s imagination with their performances over the past couple of years and especially in winning the Tournament of Nations recently in the USA.

“They are arguably Australia’s best performing national team right now and the ticket sales reflect that.”



The upturn in interest contrasts drastically with last weekend’s attendances in the NRL; the four finals matches mustered an aggregate total of just 75,361 – the lowest figure for week one of the finals since 2008 – with the Manly-Penrith game at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium attracting just 15,408, although that number might have been higher had the NRL allowed the game to be played at Manly’s home ground.

Cronulla’s sub-20,000 figure for their game against North Queensland would likely have improved had NRL rules been different. At present, all Sydney teams must move finals games to the 45,500 capacity Allianz Stadium or 83,500 capacity ANZ Stadium to allow for potentially bigger crowds.

On Saturday night the Eels play the Cowboys at ANZ, and the NRL is expecting a better turnout for what will be a Parramatta home game. “I was disappointed with some of the crowds but I’m enthusiastic about the crowds to come in week two and week three,” NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg said on Monday.

AFL attendances continue to dominate the winter football season. At the MCG on Friday night, more than 95,000 turned out to watch Richmond beat Geelong, and a day later 41,000 were at Adelaide Oval to watch Port Adelaide and West Coast. In Sydney, the Swans sold out their elimination final against Essendon at the SCG, where 46,323 fans turned out – the biggest ever crowd for AFL at that venue.