Elise Kellond-Knight said the Matildas are continuing to push women's football to the edge of its capabilities and beyond, in an impassioned speech marking 40 years of the Australian women's national team.
The Matildas midfielder has been a key part of the Australian side that has re-written the history of football in this country, expanding the women's game to never before-seen heights down under.
It's fitting then, that in the year of a record-breaking World Cup, where Australia possesses not just one, but many of the greatest players in the women's game, that FFA are also celebrating the Matildas' 40th year anniversary.
“Today presents a great opportunity to express some gratitude on behalf of the team," Kellond-Knight said at the ceremony.
"I think we all make sacrifices as Matildas, but I think what they sacrificed was to the extreme extent.
“We’ve pushed the game to its limits, we’ve created a professional environment, we’re now full time professional athletes, we’re able to fill stadiums with tens of thousands of people, we’re accessible to fans now, we’ve got role models that are renowned around the world like Sam Kerr and we’re visible on TV.
“And none of this would have been possible without the first generation of 1979 Matildas. On behalf of the current team, I want to say ‘Thank you’” Kellond-Knight concluded.
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