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3rd July 2023
The Matildas' first skipper recalls running high-stakes poker games to fund career
As the Matildas announce their squad for the World Cup, the country's first-ever skipper has revealed they had to resort to gambling fundraisers and baking lamingtons to play for Australia.
Julie Dolan is the Matildas' cap no. 1 after skippering the side in their first-ever game, which was against New Zealand in 1979 - and she is also a Legacy '23 ambassador for the World Cup, which begins in front of a sold-out crowd against Ireland on July 20.
So while Sam Kerr, Ellie Carpenter and co. will now play in front of 83,000 fans, sitting in brand-new, multimillion-dollar, gender-neutral change rooms and earning the same money as the Socceroos, it has taken a long and at times painful journey to get to this point.