As the Matildas took to the field for the first time ever in regional Western Australia, kids lined the fences with permanent markers heavy in their pockets in the hope of nabbing a signature after the game. Over 10,000 people gathered at Bunbury's Hands Oval on Saturday to watch the Matildas play Panama, including local kids keen to see their heroes up close. Among them was 10-year-old Axel Crowe, who has been an avid fan of the Australian women's team since the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, which saw them reach semi-finals for the first time. Axel, who plays for the Collie Power Soccer Club, said he had modelled his own game style on the Matildas, in particular attacking midfielder Amy Sayer. While the Matildas have been celebrated for getting a generation of young girls to pull on a pair of footy boots, Axel is one of a growing number of young boys looking to sportswomen as role models. Football West chief executive Jamie Harnwell said it was a huge win for the sport at large. "My boy plays FIFA and he's got men and women players in his team." Female sports role models now the norm Growing up in Margaret River, former Perth Glory captain Natasha Rigby said her main role models had been men as she simply had not known of many professional sportswomen. Now the head of women's football and advocacy at Football West, Ms Rigby said it had been incredible to see that change. "When I've gone to hold clinics in schools [and] I've asked them to pick a team name, I'll have an all-boys team be like, 'We want to be called the Matildas,'" she said. Holly McNamara, 22, who scored her first international goal for the Matildas in a friendly against Slovenia last week, said she had also witnessed a shift. "There's not … that stigma that's around 'kicking like a girl' anymore," she said. Matildas coach Joe Montemurro, who took the helm just last month, said he was honoured to join a team that was changing the way the world saw women in sport. "It's a really special brand," he said. "They're amazing role models and it's brilliant to see young boys looking up to [them]." But Ms Rigby said there was still work to be done at the A-League level to ensure sportswomen were able to get to the point of being elite athletes and role models for the next generation. "Our women are yet to be able to play full time and be paid an adequate wage to survive so we've still got a big gap to close," she said. Spotlight on regional communities Dalyellup Park Rangers president Nicky Duncan said participation rates in soccer had skyrocketed across the board after the 2023 Women's World Cup. "I was getting calls at nine o'clock at night saying, 'When does registration open?' and it was like in December and registration was two months away," she said. Ms Duncan said it was a huge deal for many players to get the opportunity to see their heroes up close this weekend. Perth Glory defender Josh Risdon, who has played for the Socceroos, said he was thrilled to see more investment in bringing the sport's best players to regional areas. "Soccer's always been battling against AFL, rugby, cricket," he said. "It's good to see the Matildas coming down to Bunbury [to] create more awareness and buzz around the region." The 32-year-old, who moved from Bunbury to Perth when he was 14 to pursue soccer, said he hoped it would help create more pathways for regional players. The Matildas went down 1-0 to Panama in Bunbury but will have another shot in a second friendly in Perth later this week.