It’s been a big year for the Matildas.

An historic fourth-place finish at the women’s World Cup — and the incredible journey that took them there — galvanised support across the country and brought plenty of new fans along for the ride.

Who could forget Mackenzie Arnold and Cortnee Vine’s steely heroics to help Australia win the penalty shootout against France, or the emphatic 4-0 win over Canada to storm into the knockout stage when an early exit was on the cards?

And don’t get us started on Mary Fowler’s sublime pass to Caitlin Foord against Denmark.

The Matildas smashed viewership records along the way. Almost half the nation tuned in to watch the semi-final against England, with the team winning praise from the most battle-hardened football diehards to casual onlookers discovering the beautiful game for the first time.

The challenge over the years, though, has often been harnessing the support that comes with a huge event like a World Cup — especially when Australia exceeds expectations — and keeping it going through the local leagues.

The sport almost got it right after the Socceroos’ strong run at the men’s World Cup late last year, but the hype burned out after the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) deal to host grand finals in Sydney was widely criticised by fans and an infamous pitch invasion left a player with stitches and the local league in damage control.

Even this week, Socceroos coach Graham Arnold took aim at the Australian government for a lack of follow-through with support for football, saying “they [politicians] enjoy having a scarf on, but when they go home after the party’s over, I don’t know where they put the scarf.”

“They must throw it away, because they forget all about us after that.”

But with women’s memberships on the rise and a groundswell of support after a home World Cup, will things be different this time around?

The Matilda effect

Goalkeeper Lydia Williams returned to the A-League Women in the wake of the World Cup.

A veteran of Australian football, Williams has just about seen it all. She, along with fellow Matilda Clare Polkinghorne, is the only player to have represented Australia in five FIFA World Cups.

“I’ve actually been a little bit surprised seeing just how exciting it is,” she said about the buzz around the upcoming season.

“It’s been such a long time since I’ve been here, so I’m excited to see how the season rolls out.”

She’s had a storied career at home and abroad, and this year she’s back in the local league, having signed for Melbourne Victory after playing for Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain and Brighton & Hove Albion over the last few years.

She’s one of a host of Matildas plying their trade on home soil this season, joining the likes of Vine, Tameka Yallop, Kyah Simon, Chloe Logarzo, Emily Gielnik and Elise Kellond-Knight.

With so many Matildas stars playing their club football in Australia, Williams says it’s a great time to get behind the league.

“A couple of Matildas coming home is obviously really exciting,” she said.

“It’s an honour after the World Cup, seeing how that has a knock-on effect. It’s really exciting that we got to contribute to progressing the game as national team players.”

That knock-on effect is reflected in women’s memberships across the league.

Just this week, Cortnee Vine’s Sydney FC announced a boost of 800 per cent on last year’s membership numbers for the women’s side.

Since the World Cup and that famous penalty, Vine has become a household name, barely able to go out in public without being recognised.

Brisbane has seen a jump of more than 500 per cent on last year’s women’s membership tally. Newcastle, 150 per cent. Ten out of the 12 clubs in the women’s league have broken their membership records, and matches have already started to sell out.

“Everyone wants to play right now because of the buzz of the World Cup, because of the fans that have bought memberships and that are supporting,” Williams said.

“It really has gone hand in hand … and it’s nice to see that the next generation of Australian footballers are really hungry to develop.”

The next generation

Tameka Yallop is also making a homecoming this season, and she’s seeing a similar trend at her club.

She scored her penalty in the France shootout to tie it up at 5-5, before the Matildas went on to win 7-6.

“Not just for myself, but for all the Matildas, I think our lives have really changed since that World Cup,” Yallop said.

It’s fitting that the storied shootout was in Brisbane, as she’s back playing for the Roar this season, after recent stints with West Ham in England and Brann in Norway.

“I’ve played overseas for a very long time. To come back to the A-League after a tournament that blew my expectations of a World Cup – it was the biggest part of my career so far, so to be able to stay in Australia after that has been absolutely amazing.”

Yallop is Brisbane’s all-time leading goal scorer. She’s represented the Matildas at four World Cups, and she says the most exciting thing about the recent wave of support is seeing the impact it’s had on young players vying for a spot on the field.

“There’s a lot more passion and competitiveness within the team, and you feel it from external sources as well,” she said.

“I think this World Cup has really given [younger players] a chance to see the dream and really motivated them to compete more, but also focus more on it because it is something that they can attain now … I think it really builds into a competitive league this year.”

Kyah Simon is also back in the A-League Women this year, after playing for Tottenham Hotspur in England and PSV in the Netherlands over the last few seasons.

“Playing for the Mariners is where it all started for me so to return there and come back to the A-League is pretty special,” she said at a launch event for the upcoming season.

“This year has gone beyond my wildest dreams as a female football player, seeing the whole country gripped by the women’s World Cup, and I can’t wait to get out in front of the fans this weekend.”

Keeping the momentum going

The stage is set, and if membership figures are anything to go by, the fans are there and building.

But the challenge for the league will be harnessing the buzz from the World Cup and keeping the hype up throughout this season and beyond.

“It takes listening on both ends … football is a sport that needs to be developed in the right way,” Williams said.

“The more you put into it as an organisation, the more you’re going to get out of players, because they feel like they have that support. But also, you have to put in the effort as a player to make the fans feel supportive and excited about your team.”

Tameka Yallop echoed Williams’ sentiments and highlighted the importance of easy access to keep fans invested in the sport.

“The main thing is exposure, and we’re definitely seeing that with free to air coverage which is absolutely amazing,” she said.

“Back when I was growing up, there wasn’t an A-League Women’s for me to go and watch, and now we’ve got Matildas players playing in those matches. It’s an amazing opportunity for youngsters to get out and watch and get a feel for something they could grow up to do.”

And with the Matildas’ Olympic qualifiers coming up later this month, the momentum shows no sign of slowing — especially since one of the matches had to be moved to a bigger stadium to keep up with soaring demand.

Lydia Williams played in the W-League’s first season, as it was then known, back in 2008.

Now, she’s hopeful the new wave of support will translate into tangible growth for the A-League Women and a new era of success for the sport more broadly on home soil.

“It takes everyone putting in the effort… That’s kind of what we’ve seen over the last little bit, with the support for the national team, but then how those people are now supporting the local league. It’s up to us as players to continue that.”