Sporting a powder-blue Westfield Matildas jacket and a moonboot on her right leg, Georgia Yeoman-Dale returned to Majura FC’s Dickson Playing Fields for the first time in more than 10 years.
Most recently plying her trade for the Western Sydney Wanderers in the Westfield W-League, Yeoman-Dale began her career at age nine with Majura, at first playing with the girls before changing it up and mixing it with Majura’s boys before she left the club at age 14.
After her time with Majura, Yeoman-Dale headed off to play Premier League football, first with Belwest and then Woden for a year, and then became a part of the ACTAS program when it became clear that football was her calling.
Out of that program Yeoman-Dale became a part of the Canberra United setup in the Westfield W-League and impressed as she scored four goals in 29 appearances between 2010/11 & 2013/14, and made five appearances for the Westfield Matildas between 2012 & 2015.
Speaking at Dickson on Saturday morning as the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup approaches, the 25-year said she could never have imagined this level of hype for the tournament and women’s football as a whole when she was younger.
Back when I was at Majura, I didn’t really know who the Matildas were,” Yeoman-Dale said.
“There was no coverage around them, I didn’t really understand what a Women’s World Cup was, so to be able to see that in the media and everywhere leading into the tournament has been crazy and exciting seeing how much the game is growing.”
“It [the change] has been massive.
When I started for Canberra United, we were lucky enough that we had a good support base in Canberra, but other clubs around Australia struggled with that.
“Now that the W-League is well known and we’re having players like Sam Kerr playing in the league and increase the awareness that it exists, increasing the quality of the game and the facilities we play at and the support, the change has been ten-fold.”
Given the chance to show the stars of tomorrow that a pathway exists for them, Yeoman-Dale relished the opportunity to speak to Majura’s young generation.
“It’s pretty surreal,” she said.
“I never thought when I was their age that it would be me. To be able to show them, that from where they are now they can get there, is pretty cool.
“The sky is the limit for them if they love the sport and if that is what they want to pursue.
“It’s certainly been an honour for me to represent Majura on the world stage.
With football’s showpiece tournament quickly approaching Yeoman-Dale has plenty to do as part of Optus Sports’ broadcast team for the competition alongside the likes of Heather Garriock and Ashleigh Sykes.
After Dickson on Saturday she headed back to Sydney to be in the studio for The Matildas’ clash with the Netherlands and has relished the opportunity to be involved in sports broadcasting.
Outside of football, she is in the fourth year of a Civil Engineering and Commerce degree, and still remembers the time she spent working on building sites when she lived in Canberra.
But for Saturday morning, the magic of football was there for Majura’s ALDI MiniRoos and ActewAGL Junior League players, and Yeoman-Dale was excited to leave a lasting impression.
“It’s just so cool to be able to see the new generation coming through.
“The grounds haven’t changed at all, it brings back lots of memories, and it’s great for me to be able to excite these players about where they can go, and the fact that they are just like I was a few years ago.”