Emily van Egmond hopes she can use her experience and actions to lead her teammates in her third Olympic Games.
The midfielder was named as one of the Matildas’ vice-captains alongside Ellie Carpenter for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, which van Egmond said would be a special opportunity.
“It is amazing to be named as vice-captain and however I can help the group with my experience and all of that is what I look to do,” van Egmond said.
“We have a great bunch of girls here who are all basically leaders in their own right.
“Without [Sam Kerr] at the moment it has been difficult as she is our captain but I think Steph [Catley] has done a terrific job. We have Ellie [Carpenter] as well, who has years to go in the Matildas set-up. I think the leadership group has a good balance. We are a good little team.
“No matter who is on the field the team is always led by someone incredible.
“I think what I bring to the group is probably experience. I like to lead with my actions and every single time I step onto the field I try and do the best that I can.”
The San Diego Wave midfielder is one of the Matildas' most-capped players, taking to the pitch in the green and gold 144 times while scoring 31 goals.
Van Egmond reflected on being selected for her third Olympic Games after being named in head coach Tony Gustavsson’s 18-player Matildas squad that will compete in Paris.
“It is an honour. I am just excited to be here,” van Egmond said.
“It is a little bit different finding out for the third time. The first time obviously is so surreal and you can’t really imagine competing in an Olympic Games. So to say that I am competing at my third one is something that I am really proud of.”
The Matildas veteran said that the Olympic Games were a tournament like no other. Van Egmond believed it would be a different experience for her teammates heading to their first games including fellow Novocastrian Clare Wheeler.
“It is a different feeling to a World Cup as you have shorter rest times in between your group stage matches and there are less teams competing. It is a difficult tournament,” van Egmond said.
“I am really proud of Clare being a Newcastle girl. Maybe it’s a little bit biased but it is such an incredible achievement and I am sure she will enjoy every single minute of it.”
With the Matildas falling short of a medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, van Egmond believed that a good start would be crucial to their success in Paris.
“I think in the back of everyone's mind they are wanting to walk away with some silverware. But for me personally, I am just focusing on the first game. Our group is extremely tough with all three oppositions posing a different challenge,” van Egmond said.
“We need to get a good result in that first game that will hopefully set us up to progress out of the group.
“It is a tournament where you can’t really think too far ahead because after one game you have another in two days.
“I think that is why the first game against Germany is going to be so key because you want to set yourself up nicely to progress in the tournament. It is pretty much the group of death.”
But van Egmond admitted that her sights were set on a medal and to finally walk away from a major tournament with a tangible reward would mean everything to her and the future of women’s football in Australia.
“It would be so special to win a medal. We came so close last time. To come that close and fall short hurts but we have another opportunity which is credit to everyone’s hard work in the last couple of years to get to this point,” van Egmond said.
“The Olympics will be an exciting platform to see where football is going. The World Cup was unbelievable for us to be on home soil and I am not sure that we would of had the tournament we had had it been in another country.
“The fact that we had the whole nation behind us was really special and from there it just seems that everyone is investing and getting around not just women’s football but women’s sport in general. I think it is an exciting time.
“Hopefully we can do something special this time around.”
Don’t miss van Egmond and fellow NNSWF junior Clare Wheeler represent the Matildas at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris with their opening game against Germany on Friday 26 July at 3am (AEST).
