As Melbourne Victory prepares to host Western Sydney Wanderers this weekend, the club will mark its Female Football Round.
Celebrating the 2026 International Women’s Day theme of ‘Give to Gain’, the match day aims to bring the community together and inspire greater participation and engagement for women and girls in football.
For Melbourne Victory midfielder, Grace Maher, the round is also an opportunity to reflect on the people who helped shape her own career as well as the women’s game long before its recent growth.
“One of the media questions today was, ‘who inspired me in my football journey?’ And I had to have a really big think, because the first thing that sort of popped into my head was actually my younger self,” Maher said.
Thinking back to her younger self, Maher also remembered the players who came before her and how they influenced her early days as a professional.
“When I look back at the female footballers in the country, and what they were sort of doing around the league and sacrificing, I think it was pretty inspiring that they did what I’m doing now for absolutely nothing, and I was able to learn off them and really embrace what it was to just be a footballer, for the love of it.”
Maher says that perspective is something that has stayed with her throughout her career.
“I think that has sort of transcended upon the last decade of my career. Now that women are being celebrated in football on a global stage, t’s been really special to be celebrated, but also to help celebrate the ones that came before us.”
“And when I think of ‘female football round’, of course, we want to celebrate the females that play, the females that work in the media, the ones that work in the staff room, the members. But I also think it’s a really exciting time to reflect back on the people that paved the way for us to be here today.”
For Maher, what makes the women’s game truly stand out is the sense of connection that runs through everyone involved.
Photo: Isabelle Campbell
“I think the biggest thing is the connection between players and supporters, and that doesn’t necessarily mean the fans that turn up, but the ones that come for one game, or the people that work in the back room.”
“There’s this sense of a culture of we are here because we love it. There is just never a question about that.”
“Women and people in the women’s space show up because they care, because they want to be better people. And I think that’s really infectious across all stakeholders in the game.”
“I think there’s more loyalty, and while the numbers aren’t as large as your men’s football. I think individual for individual, there’s more passion there.
“It is just a really special and accepting place where I’ve never felt like I don’t belong. And I think that’s what people part of the women’s football community probably feel as well.”
Her own A-League story began before she signed a contract, as a Canberra United supporter and ball kid.
“I think we became members, my parents and I, in the 2011/12 season. Canberra won on home soil, in a grand final. Then I was involved as a ball kid, just as a super eager fan of football, being around Canberra, getting to be in the dressing room with the girls,” she recalled.
“I remember, getting hot chips at halftime and then going back out there.”
In a full-circle moment, a mishap from her ball kid days resurfaced just as she prepared for her debut.
“In a warm up, we always say it was a Caitlin Muñoz shot, because now that I know her, it’s quite funny. She always has a hard shot, but they’re usually going wide, so I snapped my wrist.”
“When I was about to make my debut, someone spoke about the ball kids because my mum had actually taken on being the ball kid liaison. Ever since I broke my arm, she said someone’s got to do a better job in educating these kids about stopping balls.”
Her early experiences at Canberra United shaped her professional approach to this day.
“What I wasn’t exposed to up until playing with Canberra United was just the mentality that these women had about winning, and it was less about development than now, and so it just changed my perspective on what it means to be professional.”
“I’ve carried that through all these years, even as money started to increase a little bit. But being professional has nothing to do with what you get, but how you act.”
Maher now applies that same mindset in her role off the pitch, as Technical Director for youth girls at Essendon Royals.
“This role has been really great for me to pick up, I want to go into coaching post-playing, but it is really difficult to make that commitment when you play, because I have to put my career first,” she said.
“I’ve only got a finite amount of years left.”
The position gives her a chance to work with both players and coaches up close. A role she’s familiar with and one she wishes to grow into in the future
“One of the things of a technical director’s role is sort of coaching the coaches and working with the players for talent ID, and just also communicating through all the stakeholders in the club and steering us in the right direction.”
“For me, in my eyes, youth development is all about the individual and progressing the player to get the best out of them for the senior NPL teams, A-league teams and national teams.”
“I think being a professional player myself who’s come up in the pathways in Australia, I’ve got the experience of being within the position those girls are, which is something you know, a 50 year old male won’t have.”
“You do see a lot of males in these technical director roles, traditionally. But I also have the ability to understand the bigger picture.”
“I think that can be lost a lot in NPL football. This ‘win at all costs’, sort of mentality when really it’s about the development and the long term goals.”
“So I’ve got that sort of bigger picture mentality, and I know how to get out the best for the future, not just for the now.”
Photo: Isabelle Campbell
Maher has also expanded into media work, embracing opportunities to share her insight and help develop the game in ways away from the pitch.
“There’s been so many opportunities that have sort of come about as I’ve gotten older and more experienced and a bit more vocal in the footballing space,” she said.
“Instead of just being about football as a player, it’s been about, how can we help the playing conditions? How can I mentor or help young players navigate professional football, coach outside of my club and in the community, and then also talk about football?”
“I love talking about football. So anyone that wants me to come on and talk about football, I’m happy to do that.”
Maher also reflected on her appearance in the A-League All Stars match against Arsenal Women, a game that drew a crowd of over 42,000.
“That was awesome, honestly,” she said.
“The only time I could compare that sort of feeling was when I was with the Young Matildas and we played in front of about 22,000 Myanmar screaming fans, back during a tournament where we were playing their national team.”
“First off, you can’t hear your teammates, which is like a whole new experience, but the buzzing feeling I remember, I came on for about 20 minutes in midfield after playing center back all season, and the adrenaline…you just run, you can just keep going.”
“It was so exciting. It was a really special moment, obviously, playing against players that I’ve watched on TV numerous times, some that used to be in the league, and just seeing where Arsenal has sort of gone with their women’s football in the last five or six years, that was really special.”
“It was also really special that the men were the curtain raiser and the fans actually turned out for the women.”
“I could see this cultural change happening, which I sort of only dreamed of.”
“I think I could have ran for another 120 minutes and not been tired, because the energy was electric.”
As Victory prepares for Female Football Round, the spotlight will fall on the players, staff, supporters, and volunteers who help shape the women’s game.
The day will be a celebration of everyone involved, highlighting the work, passion, and commitment that goes into growing the sport.
From the pathways that bring young players through, to the teams competing at the elite level, and the community that supports them, Female Football Round is a reminder of how much has been achieved and how much the women’s game continues to grow.