Calling themselves the Supporteroos, these Matildas supporters have been playing games all over France during the FIFA Women's World Cup.
Unable to play in Nice because of pitch availability the Supporteroos were happy to arrive in Lyon and find that there had been a pitch set up in the fan zone.
Their first game was against the ‘American Outlaws’ and saw the biggest Australian turn out of the tournament so far.
“In the end we had 27 people play and we had to sub the whole team, so the keeper stayed but we did almost an ice hockey style line change. We ended up losing eight- three but we scored the last goal so that was very satisfying.”
Following the game against the Americans, the Supporteroos were approached by the Lyonnaise police force who wanted to play a friendly against them the next day.

Aside from getting to meet football fans from all over the world, Petr feels that one of the best parts of these friendlies have been the numbers of Australian participants in each game.
“For me, the great thing was how many people and players we were able to attract, out of those 27 only four were guys. These games they bring people together from different social circles and we bump into each other at games and you have an instant connection now that you have played together.”
One of these players was Amelia Gilbert who had come to France on a solo trip to support the Matildas and ended up as a part of the Supporteroos family.
“Basically I’ve been hanging out with all of these Aussie fans who I had never met," Gilbert said
"I played against the American Outlaws and scored a goal on debut which was really fun, on the pitch it was a bit of a fierce rivalry but after the game, it was really great to share some drinks and share some food.”
The amount of female participation was not lost on Amelia either and was one of the most positive aspects of these games for her.
“As a woman in sport, a woman in football, it can be a little bit intimidating turning up when you’re the only girl," she said.
"I’ve played some kickarounds in Australia where I show up and I’m the only girl. It was so nice to turn up to these fan matches and the majority of people in our team are women.
"One thing I know Petr is really proud of and I’m really proud of is we have the best female representation out of all the fan teams.”
If you would like to get involved or just follow the adventures of the Supporteroos you can find them on Facebook or you can join their group.
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