'I had never been into sport. Then I watched a women’s game.'

Throughout school, I was what you would call a 'sporty kid'.

I did everything: Dancing, athletics, swimming, tennis, ice skating, basketball, golf and volleyball were all within my repertoire.

Then, I hit those wonderful teenage years and suddenly, I no longer wanted anything to do with the things that made me seem less "girly". I didn't think much of it until I hit my mid-20s, when I began to regret giving up on sports so easily.

While I was a sporty kid, though, I was never into watching sports. I played basketball for 14 years, but never attended a single professional game.

It wasn't just that I wasn't interested in watching sports — it went beyond that. Instead of having admiration for these brilliant athletes, and feeling motivated to achieve what they could, I felt a sense of inadequacy — like I was wasting my time. The athletes I did see? They didn't look like me, they weren't built like me, they didn't move or behave like me.

As an adult, I know that the reason I was "put-off" by professional sports was because I was only seeing men play. But at the time, it felt like people only watched men play. It made me believe that to be a professional athlete, you had to be a man.

It wasn't until the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games that everything changed for me. Watching the Matildas play showed me how Godly women athletes were.

Going to see a FIFA world cup game in person showed me how strong our nation's support for them is.

Listening to the women who play for the Sydney Swans AFLW team showed me that not only are they incredible athletes, they're extremely passionate about the game and often have to work in other professions to sustain themselves financially.

Watch: Women's international football tournament lunch panel. Post continues below.

Watching the Opals, our women's basketball team, win bronze at this year's Olympic Games showed me the encouragement, humility, strength and love that I didn't see while watching the men's teams when I was younger.

In 2024, I can see the increased fan support for women's sport, but it still feels like there's a lack of accessibility, education and economic support for young girls to be set up for a successful career in sports.

Recently, I was honoured to be invited to watch a match between Manchester City and Leister City for the International Women's Football Tournament in Perth with presenting partner Ninja.

During a panel ahead of the game, ex-Matilda's captain Melissa "Bubs" Barbieri said, "I know there's a lot of talk around the money that you have to pay around the elite level of our game. I want someone to make sure if they look at me as a 44-year-old mother who's been playing professionally for 27 years, they don't think they can't do it."

She continued, "When I first started in the national team, I certainly wouldn't have seen a backdrop with so many supporting partners on it. It's a little bit of a shock for me, not only because it's been a long time coming, but the difference the brands are making will generate so much more wealth for our game... It will get more bums on seats and the game will just flourish because of it."

Watching the Man City game — the team that's home to two of our beloved Matilda's players, Mary Fowler and Alana Kennedy — it gave me a sense of hope for the future of women's sports.

The amount of young girls in the crowd, screaming their names, knowing all the football terminology and wearing the jerseys, I can definitely say that although I missed out on being shown a potential future in women's sport, these girls will have amazing opportunities that will be backed by the rest of the nation.

If you want more culture opinions by Emily Vernem, you can follow me on Instagram @emilyvernem.

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