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When Tasmanian Zoe Nolan first started playing football in the mid-1980s, she had to play in a boys' team to participate in the sport.
Nolan first trained with the Matildas in 2001 and received her cap in 2002, but an injury later that year put an end to her football career.
Rather than cut her uniform to attend to the injury, her training shorts were carefully removed to be given to a reserve player.
Two decades on and a statue is planned for Brisbane as a tribute to the Matildas' World Cup performance in 2023.
It shows just how far the team has come since Nolan's debut.
ABC Sport is live blogging every day of the Paris Olympics
Beginnings of a football career
In a 1980s football team photo of 14 kids and two coaches, Nolan is the odd one out.
Sitting cross-legged in the front row, she's the only girl in an otherwise boys' football team.
It's a regular occurrence for the budding football player in her early years in the sport where participation meant playing with the boys.
Nolan grew up in Blackmans Bay in southern Tasmania. She began playing football when she was six years old.
Shortly after starting in the sport she learned about the Matildas and made it her career goal to join the team.
An underage all-girls team didn't exist at the time, so to participate, Nolan played almost exclusively with and against boys.
"It was always good competition and toughened me up a bit," Nolan said.
"Sometimes if I would beat a player, a boy, often the parents on the other side didn't really enjoy that.
"They would yell at their boys and say, 'Don't let a girl beat you!'"
At 13 years old she joined the Kingborough United senior women's team, now known as the Kingborough Lions United Football Club.
Selection for an under-16 Australian squad and subsequent selection to play for Victoria opened her eyes to her own skill level.
"My next step was to move out of Tasmania," Nolan said.
"There just weren't the opportunities at that time to be recognised to go to that next level."
Career cut short by injury
Nolan earned her Matildas cap, number 115, officially in January 2002 but trained and played friendly matches with the team the year before.
An injury suffered during training in April 2002 put a halt to Nolan's Matildas career.
During a friendly match in Australia against a men's team, Nolan broke her shin bone during a tackle gone wrong.
"I got up and my whole foot went to the side," Nolan said.
"I'd actually snapped my tibia and fibula in half."
The team was scheduled to go to France the next day and rather than cut her training shorts, the uniform was carefully removed to give to the reserve player taking her spot.
"They had to pull it over my leg that was hanging off and the rest of my tracksuit to give to the player that was taking my spot," Nolan said.
"It's definitely not like that today and they've come so far from that time."
What was expected to be a nine-month injury became a two-and-a-half-year journey for Nolan, ending her career with the Matildas.
"It was pretty difficult to take … it was pretty tough at the time," Nolan said.
Tassie's Matilda still celebrated at home
Nolan is one of a handful of Tasmanians to have played for the Matildas, an achievement still celebrated by her first club, the Kingborough Lions United Football Club.
The jersey gifted to to Nolan when she was injured is on permanent display in the club rooms in southern Tasmania.
A best and fairest medal is also named in her honour.
For Nolan, the acknowledgements don't go unnoticed.
"It feels pretty special to have the jersey up [in the clubrooms], as not many Tasmanians have made it," Nolan said.
"It's nice to still have a connection to the club."
She credits her football career to Kingborough Lions, which saw her through from the beginning to playing on a national level.
"I probably wouldn't be where I got to if it wasn't for Kingborough," Nolan said.
"It's an amazing club … I'm very grateful."
As a Matildas alumna, Nolan said she felt well looked after two decades on from playing for the national squad.
Alumnae are given tickets to games on Australian soil. Nolan will watch the Paris Olympics from the comfort of home.
"They really do appreciate all the hard work that the players who have come before have done to get the Matildas to where they are today."
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