Emily Mulligan, a married mother of two, describes the best moment of her life so far as 16 November 2005, when she was 17 and in the stadium at Moore Park as John Aloisi scored the penalty kick that secured Australia's first World Cup spot in her lifetime.
Holy water and pre-match rituals
Mulligan says she feels lucky every four years to relive the exhilaration and glory of the Socceroos, placing her entire wellbeing at their boots. She doesn't let them go it alone: while they handle training, athletic ability, protein, and drills, she brings holy water to their games and sprinkles some on the TV.
For the first game against Turkey, Mulligan ground her teeth all day in the lead-up, agonising over how the young team would fare against a bigger country's might and footballing reputation. But then she saw other fans on the street biting their nails, wearing team colours, and rushing to meet mates to watch together.
Community and connection
In a crowded pub in Sydney, where she unblinkingly watched Australia defeat Turkey, her young son made approximately 200 friends wearing his Socceroos jersey. Mulligan says that's what it's all about: talking to people on the streets, spilling drinks, feeling a tremendous rush when the ball goes in the net.
For the 5am kick-off game, she anxiously woke at 3:45am muttering about 'my sons' and forced herself to rest before the match. She gives a shoutout to fans in Federation Square and Darling Harbour, but spares a thought for suburban mums with heated blankets watching on the couch, whose mental health hinges on 11 strangers on the other side of the world.
Losing and pride
Even when the team doesn't win, they make fans proud. Mulligan notes that losing is part of caring about sport, but there is no law against taking it very poorly. Fans connect with friends who understand, turn chunks of a stadium halfway around the world green and gold, and make full-throated accusations against the referee.
She feels the Socceroos are the earnest sensation needed for this moment. They symbolise trying hard to be the best at something when it's easy to be nihilistic, the value of being good boys amid revolting manosphere videos, and leading a pointed conversation about what it means to be Australian. They've shown that paying respect to Tim Cahill with a tribute corner-flag boxing celebration is part of that, and that being from one particular background isn't.
Shared experience
Mulligan says the players are faces and personalities fans have grown to love, when the main political conversations about immigrants in this country have all the sophistication of Simpsons quotes. So win, lose or draw, it's wonderful to have a moment for everyone to agree on something, to cheer for the team, to talk to strangers, and to be part of something huge and exhilarating. Because we are all part of it, whether on the pitch or not.
