Never Say Die

The inspirational story of the past, present and future of Australian women’s football – its players, fans, and the game they love.

Australian women’s football rides high on the sporting landscape now, but this book shows that success has been one-hundred years in the making. It shares stories of triumph in the face of overwhelming odds, and tales of heartbreak and obstacles that seem insurmountable. But it is also about community, endurance and collective success.

Eye-opening and celebratory, it tells the story of amateur women kicking a ball around a century ago to Australia’s national team being one of the best in the world. The Matildas are forty years old and no longer have to wear hand-me-down men’s kits, pay for their own medical insurance and do it all for love not money. But there have been no free kicks along the way as they have faced prejudice and even outright hostility.

Never Say Die takes in dusty archives, rainy pitch-side evenings and heart-breaking and heart-warming interviews — including with FIFA and FFA board members, Matildas past and present, W-League coaches and players, state and club administrators. But at its heart are fans from every level of the game who could not love it more.

About the Authors

Fiona Crawford is a researcher, writer, editor and social media strategist whose work spans social and environmental issues, the arts, and football. Fiona has written for many publications, clients, and websites, including The Big Issue, Peppermint, Kill Your Darlings, Bookseller+Publisher, Writing Queensland, the Matildas and the W League, FourFourTwo, The Conversation and the Homeless World Cup.

Lee McGowan is a researcher and writer at the Queensland University of Technology. His current funded project partners with Football Queensland and the State Library of Queensland to build a history of women's football. He has written football-related fiction and non-fiction for publications, including The Blizzard, The Conversation, Smith Journal, The Writing Platform and New Australian Writing. His football projects have featured on SBS News, Australian Story, the Courier-Mail and a number of ABC radio shows.