abc.net.au/news/mary-fowler-old-school-inspiring-next-generation-matildas/102731084Sitting in front of the television with her family, watching the Matildas' history-making march to a World Cup semi-final, Emma Bridgman has an eye on the future.
Emma attends Holy Cross School on Cairns' northern beaches, the same school Fowler went to before moving to the Netherlands with her family aged 12. The pair recently met at a soccer tournament where Emma played for the same junior representative side whose uniform Fowler once donned.Emma believed "quite a lot" of the growth in interest in the women's game was down to the Matildas' achievements."There's going to be a lot more girls playing soccer and a lot more people wanting to join new clubs and play the game as well," she said.
Marg Judd, Fowler's Year 6 teacher, remains in touch with some of the Fowler family, including Mary's mother Nido. She recalled her former pupil as a dedicated footballer and netballer, and as an artist with a "gifted ability to draw".