The Matildas’ latest additions are proving tough to handle

The Matildas’ two newest recruits can be difficult to deal with but have made a positive impact on the environment, writes David Davutovic.

The Matildas all sat and focused on an important team meeting attended by Football Australia staff and managers.

Halfway through, the unthinkable happened: a senior FA manager was rudely interrupted by one of the two newcomers. It wasn’t a total surprise as the Matildas squad as a whole struggled to control them.

There’s no indication the two will be released from camp, however, as players agree that the nimble, boisterous and unpredictable duo is one of the keys to the Matildas’ success at the upcoming World Cup.

Harper Gorry and Harley Yallop are the tiresome but lovable duo that changed the dynamic of Matilda’s camps and show how far football has come by not only giving players the opportunity to have children and continue their professional careers, but… also embraces children’s culture.

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In this case, 23-month-old Harper Gorry was the perpetrator.

“One night over dinner the FA was talking to the Matildas and Harper screamed loudly. “The innocence of children,” said Matildas’ head of delegation, Alicia Ferguson.

“Executives try to say something and Harper throws peanut butter at them. These two young girls have a captivating audience.

“It’s great, it really helps them. It just adds a much more human aspect to the high-performance environment. And the team is doing better.”

Tameka Yallop admitted her stay at the camp helped change the dynamic in an otherwise tense environment.

“It’s very different. At the first camp we both had kids at, nobody really knew what to expect and it was really welcoming,” Yallop said.

“At camp it’s a high-performance environment where you can be engaged and engaged all the time, from waking up to going to bed.

“And when you have little kids, whether they’re laughing or throwing a tantrum, you forget about football for a minute and it’s relaxing. At the same time, everyone is drawn together and everyone is an aunt now, and you can feel that.

“It definitely changed the whole environment and maybe gave us a little performance advantage because we can switch off and it feels different emotionally than just 100 percent football.”

Katrina Gorry admitted her own attitude towards football and life has changed since Harper was born in August 2021. This coincided with some of her best performances in a low-key career.

“[Becoming a mother]is incredible, amazing, emotional and just completely changing the way you look at life,” Gorry told FIFA.

“After a bad workout, it’s hard to go home and get angry or something like that when you see a smiling little kid who needs your full attention.

“And just the pleasure, I feel like I’ve found the love of football again and the reason I do it. After all, I’m a mother and she has my full attention and soccer is my hobby now.

“That’s one of the reasons I wanted to come back and play, to show what you can achieve in a career and also having my family supporting me will mean a lot to me.”

Gorry admitted Harper could be a challenge at times and didn’t quite know the FIFA rules of the game but fitted seamlessly into the Matildas’ extended squad.

She added overtime and penalties could make things challenging.

“Yes, especially when she applauds the other team when they score a goal, which she did a few months ago. So I have to teach her that a little bit better, but now she loves it, she loves hanging out with the girls in the crowd and she makes new friends, which is nice,” she said.

“There are many challenges along the way. It’s obviously quite exhausting when they’re running around and you don’t really have time to nap and rest after practice and then you just go.

“I’m lucky to have the support that allows her to just hand her over for a couple of hours. But yes, you have to juggle travelling. You need to make sure you have enough to eat so they aren’t unhappy. There’s a lot to juggle, but it’s so rewarding in every way. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

Harper’s arrival was perfectly timed, just after the Matildas struck a historic deal with Football Australia of 12 months paid parental leave for a key carer.

It allowed Gorry to step away from the game without stress, focus on expanding her family, and return to a nurturing, nurturing Matildas environment.

Matilda’s great Melissa Barbieri had to choose between her international career and having a child.

She lost her Matildas contract in 2013, the same year fellow great Heather Garriock was allowed to take her baby daughter Kaizen on tour with a nanny who cost her more than her match payments.

“The game has come a long way. Especially when I see Katrina Gorry and the way she’s being treated now,” Barbieri told the PFA.

“Fighting for maternity leave and for nannies and the support network that you need as a player – to see everyone in the Matildas being supported as mothers is huge.”

“I honestly think that’s why the Matildas have such a strong bond and why they play so well together as they’re actually a family.

“There have been a few times in my career where I’ve thought, ‘Can I really do this?’ There was a season when I had to sell all my memorabilia and I had to make some big sacrifices when I had my daughter Holly. I moved to another state and did what I could to remake the national team, so I had to sell all my memorabilia just to make a dime.

“At 43, I’m still playing the game because of our arrangements. We got to the point of not getting any money at all and washing my socks and underwear in the hotel bathroom. [Players] You no longer have to claim unemployment benefits if you play for the Matildas.

“It’s great to see our Matildas today shed a great light on what we can do as footballers.”

Yallop said the support mechanisms, which include the addition of family members and caregivers to the camp and additional rooms as options for families, have allowed her and Gorry to focus on preparing for the World Cup.

“It was more about inviting family over to mealtimes than we were used to just following strict team protocols. Giving families and carers a chance to be close,” she said.

“It’s adjustments that take time, especially for supervisors or someone who’s always thinking about football.

“Then there is a lot of logistics – traveling with small children, car seats, prams, food.

“The first camp we had we knew there would be problems, but everyone adjusted.”

Yallop admitted they will never forget the coming month.

“I definitely thought about it from her perspective because hers is definitely going to be like ‘everyone is watching me.'” And she’s looking forward to the fireworks, that’s what brings her to my games,” Yallop said.

“For her to experience everything on such a large scale, with something we’ve never experienced here in women’s sport, it’s crazy to think that I have a little girl experiencing that at the same time.”

“It’s going to be really cool to see how much this experience has shaped her when she grows up.”

And one can guarantee that Harley and Harper will be at the forefront throughout the World Championship.

Ferguson paid tribute to Gorry and Yallop.

“They are incredible mothers and also inspirational role models,” Ferguson said.

“Even after we lost to Spain, Harper comes on the field and puts things into perspective – nobody likes to lose but there’s that boy and it’s football.

“The players have two rooms – one for the players and one for the coaches and children. On match days to ensure they get their rest time. This is an investment by the association, there are additional costs.

“Tony (Gustavsson) also helped. He comes from the US environment where it was accepted.

“We’ve come a long way.”