ENCORE Leaving Matilda: From Elite Sport to Social Work

Back in 2021, we talked to Ellen Beaumont about her experiences representing Australia as one of the Young Matildas, and her life afterwards.  Back then we had just learned that Australia would be hosting the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.  Now that we know how well the Matildas have played in that tournament, we are bringing you this replay of that conversation as a bonus episode.

When Ellen Beaumont was in the Young Matildas, she trained every minute that she wasn’t working, eating or sleeping.  She put her education and career on hold, she missed family events and had no social life.  All the while she knew that if she’d been a man she would have been well paid and sponsored, whereas Ellen was paid nothing to work this hard and represent her country.  But for Ellen this was a life of privilege. 

So when her sporting career had come to its end, how did Ellen make the transition out of this privilege?  How did she end up in social work?  And which aspects of her former life help her now as a social worker?

SHOWNOTES:

“Young Matildas Selected” SBS: ‘The World Game”, 30/04/2014

Wikipedia summary of 2004 FIFA U-19 Women’s World Championship

Crawford F, and McGowan L, Never Say Die: The Hundred Year Overnight Success of Australian Women’s Football, New South Press, 2019

Beaumont E, Chester P, and Rideout H, ‘Navigating Ethical Challenges in Social Media: Social Work Student and Practitioner Perspectives’, Australian Social Work, Vol 70, 2017

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0312407X.2016.1274416?journalCode=rasw20&

‘You Can’t Ask That: Ex footballers, ABC iview  05/05/2021

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The AASW respectfully acknowledges the past and present traditional owners and on-going custodians of the lands on which this podcast was recorded.  We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, their ancestors and families, and to the Elders of other communities who may be listening.

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