Matildas bronze plaque, instead of statue, unveiled outside Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium after World Cup run

The Matildas’ captivating run to a fourth-placing at last year’s Women’s World Cup has been immortalised at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.

However the proposal for a statue of the Australian football team outside the Milton venue has fallen short, with a bronze bas-relief showing players in rapturous celebrations unveiled on Tuesday.

The 5.5m long, 2.1m wide plaque, created by Urban Art Projects, sits at the southern entrance to the stadium.

It depicts the moment the side won their way through to the semi-finals with a 7-6 penalty shoot-out victory over France.

Rugby league legends Wally Lewis, Arthur Beetson, Darren Lockyer, Allan Langer and Mal Meninga, as well as rugby union great John Eales, are among the Queenslanders to have their statues outside the stadium.

The idea of a statue celebrating the Matildas’ achievements at the home World Cup came from former premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

“The Matildas have inspired more women and girls to get involved in football, with a record 44 per cent increase in female player numbers statewide following the World Cup,” Queensland Sports Minister Michael Healy said.

The state government also announced two Matildas matches against Brazil would be played at Suncorp Stadium on November 28 and on December 1 at the Gold Coast’s Cbus Super Stadium.

The Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand was hailed as a “game-changing” event, with Seven’s broadcast reaching an amazing 18.6 million Australians across the tournament.

“Almost 18.6 million Australians watched the tournament across the screens of Seven, including 14.76 million reached on broadcast and 3.82 million on 7plus,” Seven said in a statement in August last year.