Discover a world of sport on with live streaming, programs and highlights from across the world and a variety of top-tier sporting event, including all 104 matches of the world’s biggest sporting event - the FIFA World Cup 2026™ - live, free and exclusive.
For Emma, 11, and Macey, 10, the most recent FIFA Women’s World Cup on home soil didn’t just inspire them – it motivated them to seek greater equality in Australian football.
Witnessing the likes of Sam Kerr and Caitlin Foord captivate the country was a significant step forward for the Matildas, but a chance meeting with ParaMatilda Georgia Beikoff quickly challenged perceptions around visibility and access across all forms of the sport.
“We met Georgia as part of a school lesson in health via Zoom,” Emma told SBS Sport.
“The ParaMatildas don’t have enough funding to be on TV or have their names on the back of their jerseys at some competitions.”
“It made me feel like this was just unfair,” Macey said.
“The Matildas and ParaMatildas are playing for the same country, there shouldn’t be any difference in that sort of area.”
What came next was an unexpected exchange following a letter that left both Emma and Macey overjoyed ahead of the 2023 IFCPF Asia-Oceania Championships in November.
“We wrote a letter to the managing director of SBS because we wanted to try and get the ParaMatildas on TV because it’s unfair that they don’t get to be on TV,” Emma said.
“(The reply) ended up in my mailbox on the last day of holidays and I got really excited, but I didn’t open it until the next day at school with Macey.”
“We read it (together) and as soon as we got to (the part saying) it’s going to be broadcasted, we ran outside to find our teacher,” Macey said.
“We tried to tell her everything, but we were just so excited.”
“We are just little kids and we made it happen on TV,” Emma said.
“I’m very proud to know that they’re on TV because of myself and my best friend.”
Both the Pararoos and ParaMatildas will compete against some of the world’s best national teams at La Trobe University in Bundoora, Melbourne, with SBS On Demand committed to broadcasting all 19 matches from the Asia-Oceania Championships - over 45 hours of football - from November 4-11.
It’s the perfect outcome for Emma and Macey and, hopefully, the latest step in the journey towards greater exposure for para-athletes.
“Even if you have a disability, you can still do all the same things able-bodied people can do,” Emma said.
“The Matildas, the ParaMatildas, they’re the same - they can do the same things,” Macey said.
“You can help wherever because helping is better than not helping… it can actually turn out to be something really big.”
