She shoots, she scores!!! Aussie darling and footballer Mary Fowler has graced the cover of the coveted Woman Of The Year issue of Marie Claire magazine to celebrate the impact that the Matildas have had on the country following their incredible success at the Women’s World Cup.
At the 2023 Marie Claire Women Of The Year Awards on Tuesday evening, the Matildas received the Champions Of The Year Award for uniting Aussies and platforming women’s sport in a way we hadn’t seen before. Her teammate Sam Kerr was also awarded the Icon Of The Year award.
While Mary and striker Sam Kerr were unable to make the award ceremony at the Museum of Contemporary Art NSW, their teammates Kyah Simon, Lydia Williams and Charli Grant were there to accept the award.
The cover image is nothing short of iconic. Mary is posed on her side, with her signature bubble-high ponytail whipping out onto the grey background, she looks directly down the barrel of the camera. What a woman.
In the interview with Marie Claire, Mary said she still gets goosebumps thinking about what the team has achieved this year — especially the penalty shoot-out against France that stopped the nation and sent the team to the semi-finals.
“When I think about it now, it feels like a dream. That moment was such an adrenaline rush” she told the publication.
Since the Tillies captured the hearts of the country in the World Cup, interest in women’s soccer has skyrocketed. Not just in fans wanting to watch professional women’s sports, but in participation rates at local clubs too.
“It’s hard to put into words the legacy we’ve left behind,” she said.
“It’s amazing already to see the growth there’s been. I’ve come in at the perfect time when there’s so much opportunity. My hope for the future, for a lot of young girls starting out now, is for them to have as much opportunity as I’ve had or even more. That’s what we’ve all worked towards and what so many female footballers before me have worked so hard for.”
But if that wasn’t enough to have you feeling big feelings, wait until you see the comments Mary’s teammates have left on the Instagram post debuting the cover.
We love to see women supporting women!!!!!!!!!!
The Matildas were just one group of strong, powerful gals to be recognised in Tuesday night’s award ceremony.
Other big winners include model-turned-multi-hyphenate queen Maria Thattil and sexual consent activist Chanel Contos who shared the Woman Of The Year award. Kylie Minogue won the Entertainer Of The Year for her 36 years of musical brilliance and making our hearts go padam padam. And the star of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, Ryva Ngwenya, won Rising Star.
To read the whole list of impactful women who took home titles from The 2023 Marie Claire Women Of The Year Awards, click here.
