Australia’s women’s national team can lay claim to being one of the form sides of world football over the past year.

This time last year, they ended a 30-year winless run against USA. And the Matildas were just moments from reprising that result a few weeks back only for the reigning world champions to equalise with seconds remaining. Sandwiched amid those two results was a national record eight-match winning streak, with each victory against a former FIFA Women’s World Cup™ winner or Finalist.

At the same time, the team has been at the vanguard of a huge growth spurt for women’s sport in Australia, with the Matildas unexpectedly becoming a significant name in the local sporting landscape. Two home matches against Brazil last year attracted in excess of 30,000 spectators. By way of comparison, a crowd of just 2,500 was on hand to witness Australia host Brazil three years earlier.

Overseeing all this has been coach Alen Stajcic, a long-term contributor to and passionate advocate for women’s football.

Stajcic has been a self-confessed football addict for as long as he can remember. Born in 1973, just a few days prior to Australia’s first FIFA World Cup™ qualification, Stajcic’s childhood was spent obsessively playing or watching the game at every opportunity.

Stajcic’s CV includes a lengthy proven track record at development level and consistent success with Sydney FC in the W-League, as well as a stint as national U-20 coach.

Elevated to the senior role in 2014, Stajcic immediately set about harnessing the team’s undoubted potential.

“We tried to change our collective behavior and the belief in ourselves,” Stajcic told FIFA.com when asked about his initial aims.

A true believer in Australia football and its culture, Stajcic - much like former men’s national team coach Ange Postecoglou - believes an inferiority complex is the first step towards defeat.

“I always had a huge amount of belief in our playing group and the talent in our country, and that we could be one of the best nations in the world. Getting that sense of belief into the players was something that we really worked hard on.

“I wanted Australia to be the ones trying to take control of the game, rather than being reactive and letting other teams dominate technically or tactically.”

The Matildas play with a clear unified purpose on the field, and they have an equally tight bond off it. That the coach is known affectionately by all his players as ‘Staj’, says much about the esprit des corps.

Stajcic prefers to credit his players when asked why the team has reached a new level in recent times.

“Maturity and insight into the game,” he says. “Most of the players have now been to a couple of World Cups, Asian Cups and Olympics, so they are no longer naive.

“The players are a little older with many in the early 20s when I started, and if you combine that with the level of professionalism off the field, things are at a lot higher level than previously and that is a testament to the players.”

Australia have reached the quarter-finals in the past three Women’s World Cups. At Canada 2015, Stajcic guided the team to a maiden win in a knockout stage match. After qualifying for France 2019 earlier this year, the aim will be to better that achievement.

“We have a good foundation. We know we are still fairly young, but we want to continue growing ahead of next year’s World Cup.”