Why these lawyers, bankers and fund managers love the Matildas
For Danielle Funston, a partner at Maddocks law firm, watching Sam Kerr and the Matildas at this month’s World Cup does not just offer her a fun way to spend time with her two daughters.
More importantly, she said, the green and gold team offers a group of positive and inspiring role models to her girls, aged 11 and 8, who are otherwise exposed only to the “vacuous” world of social media influencers.
Maddocks partner Danielle Funston and her daughters Audrey, 11, and Adelaide, 8, can’t wait to watch the Matildas’ World Cup campaign in Australia. Flavio Brancaleone
Ms Funston’s youngest daughter, Adelaide, will run out onto the field on Thursday night, hand-in-hand with a player, when Australia takes on Ireland in its opening match in Sydney.
The family are among the 80,000-odd ticket holders to the sold-out match, which kicks off Australia’s hosting duties, alongside New Zealand, of the 2023 FIFA World Cup. The tournament, running until August 20, puts the globe’s top 32 women’s teams on display and is expected to draw 55,000 visitors.
Adelaide and her older sister Audrey, who both play for Marrickville Football Club, said while Kerr and Alex Chidiac were their favourite players, they looked forward to watching the whole team’s chemistry and taking notes for the local team.
“As a mother with preteen daughters, the Matildas are amazing role models because they’ve persevered without always getting the support they deserved,” Ms Funston told The Australian Financial Review.
“They stand for great things and they’re using their celebrity for the right causes. The other role models for girls their age are social media influencers and TikTokkers. That’s a big reason our family loves the Matildas – they are true role models, not
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