What to know about Australian football ahead of the World Cup - ESPN

The moment is almost at hand, the Women's World Cup is almost here and those making the pilgrimage Down Under to watch are landing in increasing numbers. And if you're one of those headed to Oz for the tournament, or just looking to stand out in the group chat, then ESPN has you covered with a guide to football across Australia, with a bit of New Zealand thrown in as well.

Reports exist surrounding the formation of «ladies» teams in New South Wales as far back as 1903 but the first public match of football between women's teams that has been confirmed took place in Brisbane in 1921, when a North Brisbane XI defeated a South Brisbane XI 2-0 at what is now known as the Gabba in front of over 10,000 people. Australia's first formally formed women's team, the LaTrobe Ladies, was founded shortly thereafter, while reports existed of games taking place in New Zealand at the same time. Both countries being a part of the British Empire, however, the 1921 move by the English Football Association effectively denied women the ability to play organised football for half a century — strangling any sense of nascent momentum.

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Come the 1970s, however, change was afoot. In August 1974, the first National Women's Soccer Championships were held in Sydney, featuring sides from across NSW, Victoria, West Australia, and Queensland. Meetings across that week led to the creation of the Australian Women's Soccer Association (AWSA) and a year later an Australian team took part in an unofficial Asian Women's Championships.

The first side officially recognised by Football Australia took the field in 1978 at a World Women's Invitational Tournament, playing a series of «B» internationals