If you’re a fan of the Matildas, Australia’s magnificent women’s national soccer (or football, depending on where you’re reading this) team, you’re in for a treat. Get ready for an incredible behind-the-scenes look at the squad, as all six episodes of the new sports documentary series Matildas: The World at Our Feet are now streaming on Disney+.
Debuting mere months before the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, Matildas: The World at Our Feet couldn’t be more timely, with Australia and New Zealand hosting the Cup this season. The series offers an up close and personal account of the Matildas preparations for the competition, starting with their performance in the opening match of the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup under head coach Tony Gustavsson.
From there we spend time in the training grounds, locker rooms, and the players homes, getting insight into their hopes, dreams, fears, and dogged determination to make their mark on the sport. Captain (and Chelsea striker) Sam Kerr gets plenty of spotlight time, and rightly so, but we also spend time with star players Ellie Carpenter, Mary Fowler, Lydia Williams, Katrina Gorry, Charli Grant, and more, exploring their diverse histories, backgrounds, and motivations, finding out what it takes to compete at the highest possible level – and what it costs.
Director Katie Bender Wynn, who was also responsible for the 2016 documentary The Will to Fly about Olympic aerial skiing champion Lydia Lassila, has been granted nigh-unprecedented access to the team, resulting in a behind-the-scenes sports series that digs deeper than most. Particular attention is paid to the notion of legacy, with the Matildas demonstrating keen awareness of the barriers they’ve broken in their rise to the top, and the responsibility they have to leave a path open for subsequent generations of sporting women.
For sports fans, this is absolutely essential viewing. It’s on Disney+ now—be sure you don’t miss kick-off.
