As the Matildas prepare to face Mexico in Newcastle in front of more than 20,000 fans on Saturday night, Northern NSW Football product Jamilla Rankin has reflected on her journey from regional football to the international stage.
Growing up in Eureka and coming through Football Far North Coast, Rankin regularly made the 13-hour round trip to Newcastle to be part of the Newcastle Jets Academy and NNSWF’s National Youth Championships team.
“Newcastle always has a special place in my heart. It's a beautiful town and I spent a lot of my youth there,” Rankin said.
“It’s exciting and my family are kind of nearby, so they'll get to come, and it’s always incredible getting to play for the national team in front of your friends and family.
“It’ll be an incredible experience, I can’t wait.”
The 13-hour round trip became a regular part of life for Rankin and while it may have been unconventional, she credits those journeys with exposing her to the opportunities available in women’s football.
“It probably wasn't a conventional childhood looking back on it. I think in the moment, I didn't really know much different so for me a normal week would involve lots of travelling,” Rankin said.
“Really looking back now, I took it for granted and I’m very grateful for my parents.
“Before I was involved in the Newcastle setup all I knew was boys football. I had never really had any insight into women's football.
“Making those trips down and being exposed to the pathways that exist for female footballers in Australia was really eye-opening and it gave me a sense of direction and a sense that there's actually somewhere to take this.”
While the trips to Newcastle helped expose Rankin to the opportunities available in women's football some of her most influential mentors were the coaches who supported her during her early years playing alongside boys.
“My football coach Victor Stokes, and futsal coach, Vinnie Leite were my two main coaches when I was training with the boys,” Rankin said.
“They let me into those teams and treated me exactly the same as they treated the boys and pushed me to be better and to back myself in tough environments.
“They really helped me be the player I am today and have the right mindset going into challenging environments.”
Beyond the influence of her coaches and the pathways she was exposed to in Newcastle, Rankin says her upbringing in regional NSW has played just as important a role in shaping who she is today.
“People often get lost in the big cities when you're growing up, but I think it's so important to have a small country town background,” Rankin said.
“I value it so much and I always enjoy going home. I love the area that my family are from.
“It's sometimes hard to have role models from those areas because there's not as many people there to follow in their footsteps. So sometimes you have to pave your own way, which is hard, but it's so rewarding.”
As her career has progressed from regional football through to the international stage, Rankin admits it is still hard to fully process what she has achieved.
“It's [making the Matildas] always every girl's dream and kind of everything you do is for that goal,” Rankin said.
“You’re always working towards that goal and sometimes it feels unattainable and slowly it just creeps up on you and then all of a sudden, you're here.
“It still doesn't feel quite real that you've achieved this childhood goal of yours, but it's super rewarding and it's a really rewarding environment to be in.”
Beyond the achievements and milestones of her career so far, Rankin says one of the most rewarding parts of her journey has been realising she is now someone young players look up to.
“It [being someone’s role model] hasn’t quite hit me that there's actually lots of girls that look up to me and want to follow my footsteps,” Rankin said.
“I think it's not quite real, but obviously when I go back and I see lots of young girls in and around football, they always come up and ask questions and I'm just happy to be there and happy to help.”
Don’t miss out on watching Jamilla Rankin and the Matildas take on Mexico at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday night, with kick-off at 7.15pm.
Get your tickets HERE.