Three years after we first launched the award-winning Football Belongs podcast series, Matilda Emma Checker is our guest and author Fiona Crawford reprises her role in this special bonus episode. They join series inspiration and author John Didulica and our host David Davutovic as they discuss the revolution that has swallowed Australia throughout the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023™. After an earlier episode of Football Belongs about a women's match that never happened - this time we are talking about a match that did happen: Canada v Australia, in Melbourne on 31st July 2023, as well as:<ul><li>The (very-much-welcomed) excitement capturing those who would otherwise have looked past the game</li><li>Why the Matildas have emerged as a universally-loved group of players</li><li>The incredible legacy this World Cup is creating - and how we leverage this moving forward</li><li>Can we finally say that football is Australia's national sport?</li></ul> Edited by Lucas Perry, Optus Sport. Watch every match of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023™ live and on-demand on Optus Sport. Listen to Optus Sport's award-winning limited series: Football Belongs, charting the cultural threads of Australian society through the lens of nine football matches: Acast: https://play.acast.com/s/football-belongsSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AzBek8ub2oEsWLYHWetg7Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/football-belongs-australias-football-identity-by-optus/id1543067162

Bonus Episode - The extraordinary legacy created by the Matildas at the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023™ | How to continue this momentum to grow the game in Australia

The incredible limited series from Optus Sport, Football Belongs, hosted by David Davutovic and authored by John Didulica, and featuring a host of prominent sporting personalities in this country, has been nominated for two awards in the upcoming 2021 Australian Podcast Awards:<ul><li>Best Sports Podcast</li><li>Best Indigenous Podcast</li></ul> If you haven't yet taken the time to soak up the depth of this series, here is a short taste of what you can hear throughout. Or, if you are ready to rip in, click here to listen: https://play.acast.com/s/football-belongs Football Belongs.

Football Belongs nominated for two Australian Podcast Awards!

Former Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou, Matildas great Kate Gill and journalist Francis Leach are our special guests, as we close out the Football Belongs podcast series.
They join series inspiration John Didulica and our host David Davutovic in a pas...

Former Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou, Matildas great Kate Gill and journalist Francis Leach are our special guests, as we close out the Football Belongs podcast series.They join series inspiration John Didulica and our host David Davutovic in a passionate discussion on:<ul><li>Looking forward to the future of the game in Australia</li><li>The event that could create a new path</li></ul> How will the game and its people earn a legitimate place in Australian life? Can football become 'mainstream'? If you haven't already, we urge you to visit Optus Sport's digital platforms to read the chapters - authored by John Didulica - that tell a deeper story, of which this podcast barely scratches the surface. Click here: https://sport.optus.com.au/category/articles Produced &amp; edited by Lucas Perry, Optus Sport.

Ep. 10 - Looking Forward: Where does Australian football go from here? | One event that could change the course of football

In the penultimate episode of the series, former Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou, Football Australia chairman Chris Nikou and sports reporter Richard Hinds join John Didulica and David Davutovic to discuss football in this country through the lens of ...

In the penultimate episode of the series, former Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou, Football Australia chairman Chris Nikou and sports reporter Richard Hinds join John Didulica and David Davutovic to discuss football in this country through the lens of a particular match. This episode looks at:<ul><li>The incredible 2015 Asian Cup campaign and gripping final between Australia and South Korea</li><li>A concept that a critical thread of being Australian is tracking our success at major sporting events</li></ul>Don't miss our final episode in coming weeks where we wrap up an incredible series with another stable of great guests.To read the chapters authored by John Didulica, visit https://sport.optus.com.au/category/articles Produced &amp; edited by Lucas Perry, Optus Sport.

Ep. 9 - Major Events: The 2015 Asian Cup and its dramatic final | Ange Postegolou's first-hand account | Australia's pride of sporting success

Matildas greats Kate Gill and Tal Karp plus current star Tameka Yallop, along with esteemed writer and academic Fiona Crawford, join John Didulica and David Davutovic for a strong-hearted discussion about the gulf that was (partially) bridged after a b...

Matildas greats Kate Gill and Tal Karp plus current star Tameka Yallop, along with esteemed writer and academic Fiona Crawford, join John Didulica and David Davutovic for a strong-hearted discussion about the gulf that was (partially) bridged after a brave move by a group of Aussie football players.In this episode:<ul><li>The match between USA v Australia in Detroit, Michigan in September 2015, and why the Matildas didn't play</li><li>The power of unity and solidarity in trying to break down disparity</li><li>Equality in sport, how it has changed, and what still remains to be done</li></ul> Produced &amp; edited by Lucas Perry, Optus Sport.

Ep. 8 - Getting Equal: The power of Australia failing to take the field against USA | How the Matildas' plight reflected a societal gap

Esteemed football historian & author Roy Hay and researcher & blogger Paul Mavroudis join John Didulica and David Davutovic for the latest instalment of Football Belongs. The match in focus is a day in 1964 when the VFL All-Stars took on Slavia...

Esteemed football historian &amp; author Roy Hay and researcher &amp; blogger Paul Mavroudis join John Didulica and David Davutovic for the latest instalment of Football Belongs. The match in focus is a day in 1964 when the VFL All-Stars took on Slavia-Port Melbourne, in front of tens of thousands of fans at Olympic Park.Some incredible stories feature in this episode, including:<ul><li>How the game of Australian Rules has continued to impact the game of football in Victoria.</li><li>A classic yarn about a sequel to the above game, in 1991, where the 'Aussies' took on 'the wogs' - and who came out on top.</li></ul> Produced &amp; edited by Lucas Perry, Optus Sport.

Ep. 7 - Clash of Cultures: When the VFL All-Stars took on Slavia-Port Melbourne | How Australian Rules has impacted football

There are still four incredible episodes to come in the limited edition Football Belongs series, in which John Didulica and David Davutovic will be joined by a host of engaging personalities to speak on these truly important topics.


If you haven...

There are still four incredible episodes to come in the limited edition Football Belongs series, in which John Didulica and David Davutovic will be joined by a host of engaging personalities to speak on these truly important topics. If you haven't already, here's your chance to catch up on the first six episodes, as well as make your way through the chapters that have been compiled by John Didulica You can find the chapters on the Optus Sport app, or visit https://sport.optus.com.au/

Coming soon: Episodes 7-10

Ros Moriarty and Travis Dodd are the special guests on this episode of Football Belongs, as they join John Didulica and David Davutovic to have a powerful conversation about:


 - The outrageous notion of Aussie football superstar John Moriarty being s...

Ros Moriarty and Travis Dodd are the special guests on this episode of Football Belongs, as they join John Didulica and David Davutovic to have a powerful conversation about: <ul><li>The outrageous notion of Aussie football superstar John Moriarty being selected to represent his country - before being allowed to vote</li><li>An unheralded role football and its migrant communities played in embracing the First Nations people</li><li>The Socceroos’ 1960 tour of South-East Asia - and why it was cancelled</li><li>Difficulties faced by Indigenous culture and football culture in gaining legitimacy and acceptance in mainstream Australia.</li></ul> Produced &amp; edited by Lucas Perry, Optus Sport.

Ep. 6 - First Nations People: John Moriarty's quest | The failures of a nation and a game | Giving voice to Aboriginal Australians

Cultural cringe: it runs through our entire cultural and political zeitgeist in Australia, and as former Socceroo Paul Trimboli and broadcaster Francis Leach join John Didulica and David Davutovic, they discuss this in detail, including:


 - The 81 mi...

Cultural cringe: it runs through our entire cultural and political zeitgeist in Australia, and as former Socceroo Paul Trimboli and broadcaster Francis Leach join John Didulica and David Davutovic, they discuss this in detail, including: <ul><li>The 81 minute 'classic' between Australia and AC Milan at Princes Park in 1993</li><li>How cultural cringe played a part in Ange Postecoglou's shock 2017 Socceroos exit</li><li>Why Paul Trimboli is Australian football's version of Forrest Gump</li><li>The synergies between local football and Australian cinema</li></ul> Produced &amp; edited by Lucas Perry, Optus Sport.

Ep. 5 - Cultural cringe: AC Milan's infamous 1993 tour of Australia | Ange Postecoglou's shock 2017 Socceroos exit

Welcome to Optus Sport&apos;s new instalment of the Football Belongs title, with a podcast series charting the cultural threads of Australian society through the lens of nine football matches.


The Football Belongs title was launched by Optus Sport in...

Welcome to Optus Sport's podcast instalment of the Football Belongs title, with a series charting the cultural threads of Australian society through the lens of nine football matches. The Football Belongs title was launched by Optus Sport in 2020 to tell the often unheralded stories of Europe’s contribution to Australian football and society. Hosted by David Davutovic and featuring John Didulica - the inspiration behind the series - as well as a long list of Australian sporting personalities, they will explore how football has played a fundamental role in shaping our nation and examine the game struggles to penetrate the mainstream - to the point that the sport continues to get diminished at every turn. In December 2021, Football Belongs was named the Best Sports Podcast at the 2021 Australian Podcast Awards. Produced &amp; edited by Lucas Perry, Optus Sport.

Football Belongs: Australia's Football Identity, by Optus Sport

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