Brisbane 2032 in sight

For Mary Fowler, the idea of competing at a home Olympics is a dream – one that’s likely to come true.

The CommBank Matildas has already represented Australia at two Olympic Games but said the prospect of Brisbane 2032 carries a different kind of excitement.

“Wearing the jersey is super special any time you get to wear it,” Fowler said. “But in particular, when I wear it in Australia.

“With the Olympics being at home in 2032, if I had the chance to go to that, I think it would just be super special.”

Fowler said the chance to experience three major international tournaments at home across her career would be rare.

“Honestly it's unreal,” she said. “I think most players that I know never get the opportunity to have a tournament at home, and we've been really blessed to have the World Cup and the Asia Cup at home and now the Olympics, Brisbane.

“It is unheard of. To have that all in the span of my career, it just feels like the most perfect timing.” 

From watching the Games to competing in them

Fowler said the Olympics had been part of her life long before she became an Olympian.

“Growing up, I always watched the Olympics with my family,” she said. “We used to go to the beach and have our own mini-Olympics.”

With four siblings, Fowler said almost anything could become a competition.

“We were always really competitive and there was enough of us to play a lot of different games. Getting to then participate in the Olympics, it was just super special getting to look back at those moments as a kid and dreaming of it and then making that dream a reality.

“It still feels crazy to me sometimes that that's possible.”

Remembering why she plays

Fowler said one of her strongest Olympic memories remains her first Olympic goal, scored against Great Britain in a quarterfinal.

“I scored my first Olympic goal in that game, and it was also just such a big game for us as a team,” she said. “I felt so much joy in that moment.”

She said that memory still helps reconnect her with the reason she plays.

“It's now just become a really cherished memory where I can look back on and then feel that joy and almost remember why I'm playing as well,” Fowler said. “Because it's moments like that are the most rewarding.”

Paris a lesson in pressure

Brisbane 2032 is still six years away, but Fowler said her most recent Olympic experience in Paris taught her important lessons about expectation, pressure and resilience.

“At my second Olympics in Paris, I think that one taught me quite a lot about expectation and managing pressure,” she said.

The CommBank Matildas entered the tournament after a strong World Cup campaign but were knocked out in the group stage.

“Things didn't work out for us the way we had hoped, and it was quite disappointing on a personal level,” Fowler said.

“It felt like we let everyone down, and I'd never really experienced that before.”

Fowler said the tournament forced her to reflect on how to perform regardless of outside attention.

“I had to do a lot of reflecting on how I can make sure that I am consistently performing regardless of who's watching or what people are saying.

“Since then, I feel like I have thrived on the pitch because I am actually doing those things like journaling and making sure I actually make time for my social life,” Fowler said. “A lot of the stuff that makes me perform is not football related, and it’s just making sure that I don’t make football my whole life so that I can really enjoy it and be engaged in it when I am on the field.”

She said resilience was one of the biggest lessons from Paris.

“I think it's a weird thing to have to speak to a camera afterwards and be like, yeah, I was bad. It can be quite embarrassing when you make a mistake, but I think when the whole country is watching you, it magnifies that.

“After that tournament, getting to do some media and actually just be like, I wasn't good enough, it actually really helped me to feel like, you know, that's okay as long as you keep trying,” she added. 

A message for the next generation

By Brisbane 2032, some of the children who grew up watching Fowler and the CommBank Matildas could be old enough to compete themselves.

Fowler said her message to them was simple.

“Just keep going,” she said. “It'd be amazing to see more girls coming through and just to hear their story.

“I think even today, I still have people come up and tell me how they started playing football because of the World Cup. And it's just beautiful to see how us just playing and giving people the opportunity to feel inspired.”

Looking ahead to 2032, Fowler said she is taking things year by year.

“I take it day by day, year by year,” she said. “Hopefully I’ll still be at my A game, doing well, because I think it would be an amazing opportunity to be part of something like that.”