MCNAMARA: It's super, super exciting to have a home tournament

Melbourne City star Holly McNamara is soaking up every moment with the national team, as the Matildas prepare to face Iran in their second Group Stage match of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.

Speaking with ABC Melbourne Breakfast prior to the tournament, McNamara couldn’t hide her excitement at the prospect of another major international campaign.

“Yeah, definitely. I think it’s super, super exciting to have a home tournament. So we’re super excited.”

The 23-year-old forward heads into the competition determined to help Australia go one better after the heartbreak of the previous Asian Cup, where the Matildas were eliminated in the quarter-finals.

“Yeah, definitely. I think especially with it being on home soil, it’s such a motivation,” McNamara reflected. “But yeah that loss last Asian Cup to South Korea was heartbreaking. I remember being there and and the reaction of the girls, I think everyone was already focused on the next one, which was four years later, but it was already a vision in mind.”

That long-term focus has only sharpened following the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, a tournament McNamara says changed the landscape of the sport in Australia.

“I think the World Cup was such a spectacle. It captured the hearts of so many Australians that maybe didn’t even watch football,” she said. “So I think that introduction to football for so many people really just captured everything that we wanted it to.”

The boom in interest has been felt strongly in Melbourne, where McNamara continues to be one of the Ninja A-League’s brightest talents with City.

“Yeah, I think you guys said it after the World Cup. It boomed, especially in Melbourne, which is so dominant by AFL even in the women’s sector. So I think you could really see that following on from the World Cup and it’s growing from there. The investments growing, the capacity for children to play is growing. Everything’s growing. So it’s really good to see.”

That growth is something McNamara witnesses first-hand through Melbourne City’s community initiatives, including the Melbourne City Football School program.

“Yeah, there’s such a boom in especially young females wanting to play soccer,” she said. “We see it as well with young boys who come to watch our games. But and I think the programs that these A-League clubs do is so important to kind of reach the people that might not be reachable in kind of other sports and football’s really taking over.

“You can see that with the City Football Schools program at Melbourne City. They’re targeting everyone that that needs to be included in the sport to kind of get the benefits out of it, which is really good.”

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While her focus is firmly on the present tournament, McNamara also reflected fondly on her first Matildas cap, a moment she’ll cherish forever.

“I remember getting mine like four years ago now and and I don’t think I realised that when I was younger back then, but it’s such a nice symbol to realise that you have gotten that cap if you’re in the Matildas squad and, and to kind of keep that forever. It’s really nice.”

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“Mine was very nice,” she remembered. “It was presented by Sam Kerr, kind of in a team meal room at the last Asian Cup. It was a bit different back then because it was Covid times, so yeah, we’re all sitting in the exact same spot, with I think masks on for some of it. But no, it was very nice to get it from Sam, who’s such a leader in our team.”

From representing Melbourne City in the Ninja A-League Women to pulling on the green and gold on the world stage, McNamara continues to play her part in football’s rapid rise.

After a win in their opening fixture against the Philippines, McNamara and the Matildas switch their focus to Thursday night’s clash with IR Iran on the Gold Coast.