Ashlea Demasi and Georgia Sellick may consider extending the bed time of soccer loving six-year-old daughters Marlie and Evah when it comes time for Australia to tackle the rest of the world in the FAFA Women’s World Cup next Thursday.
Australia and New Zealand are hosting the 32 counties that have qualified for the tournament and will both host games on the first day of the month long tournament — which culminates with the final on Sunday, August 20.
The Matildas will confront the Republic of Ireland on July 20 at Stadium Australia in Sydney and New Zealand has the powerful Norway outfit a little earlier in the afternoon.
Both games start at 8pm and, on school nights at least, the girls bed times fall mid-game.
Ashlea was the first to become involved in the sport, because of her nine-year-old brother Blake’s connection to the Kyabram Knights.
To ensure Ashlea’s continued interest in the sport the two Kyabram mothers organised for Evah to join her in the sport and the pair haven’t looked back.
“We both thought Marlie needed a friend to play with at soccer, they are the only two girls in the team. That is how it all started,” Ashlea said.
Neither have any soccer playing relatives in the family, despite the European heritage of Ashlea’s family.
The pair have played 10 games together and are regular award winners after Evah’s first outing saw her clinging to the leg of her mother.
“They don’t stop chasing the ball now, even if it goes outside the boundaries,” Georgia said, explaining the under-six competition does not keep score — but the girls were in a “pretty good team’’.
After three weeks off for the school holidays the Knights pair will return to competition this weekend, the timing perfect to spike their interest in the Matildas opening World Cup game.
Evah’s older sister, Zara, does gymnastics and that appears to be another future pursuit of the youngster.
Both the mothers agreed the work coach Anthony Ciavarella did with the girls, and the team, was fantastic.
“He is really good with the kids and they all look up to him, and listen,” Ashlea said.
Australia will go into the women’s World Cup as the 10th ranked FIFA nation and faces Nigeria (40th in the world), Ireland (22nd) and 27th rated Czech Republic in Group B of the tournament.
New Zealand is the 26th ranked country in the world and has the Philippines (46th on the world) and Switzerland (20th in the world) as its other opponents.
A week after the tournament opener the Matildas take on Nigeria (on July 27 in Brisbane) and then the third group game is against the Canadians four days later, on July 31, in Melbourne.
The first two teams from each of the eight qualifying groups will advance to the finals of the tournament.
Australia, if results go as expected and they finish top of their group, will face either Spain (sixth in the world) or Japan (12th) in the knockout round on Saturday, August 5.
United States, Germany and Sweden are the three top ranked countries in the world.
Australia has a mix of experience and youth in its ranks, headed up by arguably the best player in the world — Sam Kerr.
Kerr, 29, debuted in 2009 with the Matildas and is in her fourth world cup.
Thirty five-year-old goalkeeper Lydia Williams is the veteran of the team and has played in four previous world cups, as has 34-year-old Clare Polkinghorne.
Alongside Kerr in attack will be Caitlin Foord, the pair stars of the women’s Premier League in the UK — Kerr with Chelsea and Foord with Arsenal.
Foord and Matildas vice-captain Steph Catley play together at Arsenal, while Mary Fowler and Alanna Kennedy from Manchester City are other players from the English top flight.