It may be the Matildas’ big night but you can expect a huge presence from Sydney’s massive Irish population in the stands for the Group B FIFA Women’s World Cup opener tonight.
Australia will face Ireland at Stadium Australia and are big favourites to triumph.
But former Irish star Stephanie Roche told 9news.com.au Australians will be surprised by how big the Irish contingent will be.
“We are hoping that we will have a good majority of the crowd as well, with green for Ireland.”
Roche said for many players it was about more than just the money.
“I know we talk about equal pay and I think for a lot of players it’s more about equal treatment,” Roche said.
Read Related Also: Who Is Jane On Claim To Fame? Fans Suspect She Has Rock Star Ties
She said previously high-level players had to balance some kind of paid work with football, which you never saw in the men’s game.
“To now see pretty much every player in WSL being paid a decent wage and being able to play at a high level and be treated really well by clubs, it’s just brilliant to see.
“I think this World Cup is going to be a huge, huge moment for women’s football and I think hopefully it can continue to grow and grow.”
The FIFA Women’s World Cup will kick off with New Zealand v Norway in Auckland at 5pm and Australia v Republic of Ireland at 8pm.
Sign up here to receive our daily newsletters and breaking news alerts, sent straight to your inbox.
