The Matildas were conspicuous in their absence | TWG The Matildas were conspicuous in their absence | TWG

The Australian Football Awards,  our “night of nights”, where we come together to celebrate the achievements of the football family from grassroots to the national teams.

There were junior football clubs, senior recreational teams, referees, administrators, A-League marquee stars, Socceroos… but no Matildas.

Not the captain Melissa Barbieri, who found out about the event on Twitter; not the recently retired Sarah Walsh, a long time servant of football and FFA employee; and not even last year’s female footballer of the year recipient, Elise Kellond-Knight.

Oops.

Once it was realised, the proverbial hit the fan on social media.  Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) president Simon Colosimo wrote:

That's it in a nutshell Simon.

Blame was laid on an outside events agency, who compiled the invitation list with the understanding that the Matildas were overseas attempting to qualify for the 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup.

While a large majority of the Matildas playing group are currently in China,  a good spread of recent representatives are in Australia due to injury, pregnancy or recent retirement.  Players who have represented Australia in the last 12 months, such as Barbieri, Walsh, Kellond-Knight, Garriock, Slatyer, Perry, Carroll, Brogan, and Williams ,  to name a few.

Even with an outside agency, a quick scan of the invitation list should have raised the thought, hang on, there are no Matildas representatives here.

In any case, the many members of the football family at large have judged that the reasons are irrelevant.  At best it was an oversight, at worst a dismissal. Intentional or not, the message the snub has sent out clearly is that the Matildas are an afterthought, that women's football doesn’t matter.

[Related: Reactions from the Football Community on Twitter]

It was raised that the Avalon FC U16 women’s side who were in attendance represented women’s football with aplomb last night, and they did.  The work of the team in Vanuatu is inspirational.

Also inspirational has been the work of Barbieri, Walsh and Matildas past and present to make the team what it is on and off the field. To improve conditions, to push and argue for player welfare and rights.  Walsh in particular is a recent retiree who has given so much and sacrificed plenty (including her knees!) for the game. She deserved better.  They all deserved better.

I also bet that the Avalon girls would have loved to have mingled with their heroines.

David Gallop spoke eloquently and passionately about the game last night.  He spoke about the uniqueness of football,  including the fact that we have a strong women’s game unlike the other football codes.  But what last night demonstrates is that you can give all the Obama- like speeches you want but if it is not backed up by action  it all becomes irrelevant.

I am the first to acknowledge and highlight when the FFA get things right in terms of women’s football but on this occasion they got it wrong. Badly.

All the FFA can do now is acknowledge the error and offer a genuine apology. It’s the least they can do.