Matildas striker Sam Kerr has revealed she had to masquerade as a boy just to get a game as a junior footballer before being forced to quit playing for her team because she was being left with black eyes due to rough play.
The Matildas dream run through the FIFA World Cup is shattering both the perception of women's sport and TV viewing records in the process - but Kerr's memories are a reminder that Australian soccer still has a lot of work do.
Writing in her new book My Journey to the World Cup, the Chelsea striker recalls cropping her hair short and pretending she was a boy for five to six years as a junior so she could get on the pitch in East Fremantle, just south of Perth.