The Sport Australia Hall of Fame recognizes trailblazing women with its two biggest awards in 2023: the Don Award for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup™ CommBank Matildas and the Dawn Award for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games women's water polo team.
The Don Award, named after Sir Donald Bradman AC, the first inductee of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame, was introduced in 1998 and is considered the highest of all awards in Australian sport. It is awarded to an athlete or team for having most inspired the nation through achievement and example over the past year.
THE DON PRIZE
The CommBank Matildas received the Don Award for their remarkable achievement of becoming the first Australian team to reach the semi-finals of a FIFA World Cup for seniors – men or women. The CommBank Matildas sparked a massive sporting transformation: transforming the women's game, uniting the country, inspiring the next generation of hopefuls and giving women's sport a much-deserved national profile. What the CommBank Matildas achieved in the lead-up to the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023™ and the tournament itself was groundbreaking. In the process, they broke numerous records and attracted extraordinary crowds to their games: nearly two million spectators in stadiums and hundreds of thousands at live venues across the country. The televised semi-final against England was the highest-rated show in Australia since the current ratings system was introduced in 2001.
Kyah Simon poses with The Don Award at the MCG. (Photo: Hamish Blair/Sport Australia Hall of Fame)
The Tillies, as we called them, experienced a huge outpouring of support and became our most talked about and popular national team. It was fitting that Australia and New Zealand's joint bid for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup carried the slogan 'As One', as the CommBank Matildas united the nation in our minds and hearts as star names such as Sam Kerr, Steph Catley and Caitlin Foord , Mackenzie Arnold, Mary Fowler and Cortnee Vine were instantly recognized.
The home team beat Ireland 1-0 in their first group stage game, lost to Nigeria 2-3 and beat Canada 4-0. In the round of 16, the CommBank Matildas qualified for the quarter-finals with a 2-0 win over Denmark, where a nil draw against France after extra time provided one of the most memorable moments in the history of Australian sport: a nail-biting penalty shootout that captivated the nation kept in suspense.
Players of Australia celebrate as Mackenzie Arnold of Australia saves France's first penalty against Selma Bacha of France in the penalty shootout during the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 quarter-final match between Australia and France at Brisbane Stadium on August 12. 2023, in Brisbane / Meaanjin, Australia. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
The longest penalty shootout in FIFA World Cup history, men's or women's, ebbed and flowed before substitute Cortnee Vine's penalty gave the CommBank Matildas a 7-6 win and a place in the semi-finals against England. Despite a 3-1 defeat in the semi-final and a subsequent 2-0 loss to Sweden in the bronze medal game, the CommBank Matildas emerged victorious in the eyes of an enthusiastic crowd.
CommBank Matildas' remarkable FIFA Women's World Cup campaign has given a generation of young girls and boys the courage to pursue their own dreams. Her FIFA World Cup campaign was a breakthrough not only for women in sport but for Australian sport in general and her legacy is undeniable.
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