Meet The Gay Matilda Team Members
Image: Sam Kerr
Australia’s Matildas have officially been dubbed one of the gayest teams in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023. The Australian Women’s National Team, known affectionately as the Matildas have made history for the nation on several different fronts over the past month week.
The Matildas claimed their biggest win in history by beating France in a penalty shoot-out (7-6), to reach the Women’s World Cup semi-finals for the first time on Saturday, August 12.
The penalty shootout took 10 attempts from each team, the longest shootout in World Cup history, for both men’s and women’s matches. Figures from Seven West Media estimated that the average audience tuning in to the game came to about 4.17 million.
Out Gay Matildas
The home squad came up against England’s Lionesses on Wednesday in the semi-final clash, and broke records once more, reaching 11.15 million Australians nationally, and had an average audience of 7.13 million nationally on Seven and its streaming service 7plus.
The semi-final match against England has become the most-watched television program since the existing rating system was first established in 2001. While they lost the match, they have one more chance to make history when they take on Sweden on Saturday, August 19, for the bronze medal match.
The Matildas’ World Cup team has nine first-team players and three reserves who are in same-sex relationships. They equalled Brazil’s football team for the most openly lesbian players across the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Here are some of the out gay Matilda team members:
Sam Kerr
Matildas captain Sam Kerr is one of the most prominent names in the FIFA Women’s World Cup. She is dating US Midfielder Kristie Mewis since 2020.
The couple were first photographed at the Tokyo Olympics semi-final matchup when Mewis was seen consoling Kerr after Australia’s defeat to the United States.
The US National team member spoke to Gaffer about the pair’s decision to go public as a couple, sharing “I think it’s endearing to share your life with other people, because I think if they can relate to you and you can maybe change their lives, I think it’s important, especially with our platform, to share.”
“We didn’t share it for ages, then it just got too hard to hide it… We’re not private people. I like sharing my story. I like sharing who I am outside of football. Football is 5% of my life,” added Kerr. Kerr and Mewis were seen kissing after the Matildas’ match against France.
Kyah Simon
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Matildas striker Kyah Simon is dating Reading FC defender Faye Bryson and acknowledged her help with preparation for the World Cup after rupturing her ACL last year. Simon told Elle Magazine that Bryson had been “kind of massive for me in helping me with my rehab journey leading into the World Cup from when I suffered my injury at the end of last year”.
Simon is a proud Anaiwan/Biripi/Kamilaroi woman, born on Darug country, and shared that she believed the female football community allowed her to feel more comfortable with her sexuality when she first came out.
“I would say, it’s probably more accepting in female football, or female sport, to be gay, compared to men’s sport. But I would encourage our male counterparts [to be] accepting of anyone that might be different or have a different sexuality, or just support anyone who wants to be comfortable in their own skin. And it shouldn’t matter about your sexuality or your race or where you come from,” Simon shared.
Cortnee Vine
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Cortnee Vine plays for Sydney FC and is currently dating her teammate Charlotte Mclean. The two currently live together with Mclean’s family. Vine told Optus Sport’s Adam Burnett that she initially found it difficult to accept her sexuality because both of them had dated men in the past but their relationship “just kind of happened”.
“But then I just said (to family), ‘I’m dating Charlotte’ and everyone was like, ‘Yep, that’s cool’. It was never a big thing, and our friends were like, ‘Yeah, we thought you were dating”, she shared.
Mackenzie Arnold
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Matildas goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold saved three penalties in the record-long shoot-out against France. She has been in a relationship with Scottish player Kristy Smith since 2021 and went public earlier this year.
Katrina Gorry
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Katrina Gorry is in a relationship with her Swedish footballer Clara Markstedt. The midfielder has played over 93 games for the Matildas. Gorry announced the couple’s engagement earlier this year, weeks before the opening of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The other out Matildas players include: Tameka Yallop, Larissa Crummer (reserve), Chloe Logarzo (reserve) Alex Chidiac, Emily Gielnik (reserve), Emily van Egmond and Ellie Carpenter.
More Funds
Captain Sam Kerr asserted a need for more funding in the development of women’s football after Australia’s defeat to England, to ensure the continued preservation of the sport and for more resources to be granted for young girl’s wanting to pursue the sport in future.
“I can only speak for the Matildas [but], you know, we need funding in our development, we need funding in our grassroots. We need funding, you know, we need funding everywhere,” Kerr declared.
The Matildas have already come further than any other Australian team, male or female, in a football World Cup and have smashed TV records, captivating the nation with their time at the tournament.
How wonderful to see such wonderful lesbian role models. I love football (soccer) when young back in the 70s& 80s. No support for women playing sport then. Go Matildas.