Adelaide United Football Club

Ms HILDYARD (Reynell) (12:28): I move:

That this house congratulates Adelaide United Football Club in winning the 2015-16 Hyundai A-League grand final and the Premier's Plate.

Champions, campions, campeones, campioni and maginbwa is how you say 'champions' in five of the mother tongues of Adelaide United's 23-person squad. There are of course many other languages also spoken by this extraordinary team. I rise today to wholeheartedly congratulate the Adelaide United Football Club on winning the 2015-16 Hyundai A-League grand final and the Premier's Plate. What a remarkable season and win, and what an amazing amount of support at Adelaide Oval for the grand final, at Hindmarsh Stadium for the semifinal the week earlier, and all over our state and beyond!

I was honoured to represent our Premier, Jay Weatherill, at the game, and what a game! More than 50,000 fans packed into our beautiful Adelaide Oval to witness history in the making as Adelaide United clinched a 3-1 win over the Western Sydney Wanderers. Our resident soccer aficionado Paul Marcuccitti, in his InDaily column on the match, informs us:

The last time a grand final was held in Adelaide? 1995.

The last time an SA soccer team became champion of Australia? 1994.

The last time one of our teams clinched the national championship in Adelaide? 1978.

This is truly a momentous time for soccer in South Australia, and this team gives us so much to be proud of. Particular congratulations must go to skipper, Eugene Galekovic, and club manager, Guillermo Amor. We must also recognise the brilliant work of the three goal-scoring players: Bruce Kamau, Isaias, and the incredible goal that sealed the deal for United through the superb work of Pablo Sánchez. Of course, it is important to recognise the hard work of all our players, and I acknowledge the team's collective resolve and support for one another and the years of dedication and sacrifice that players and their families have gone through to get to this point.

Whilst a grand final win is always an incredible experience, a win for an underdog is always very special. It is extraordinary that United played the first eight rounds of the season without securing a win. Their win in this context is a testament to their ability to work together as a team, to their sheer determination and to their enormous heart. It is an amazing achievement that from this record United not only made the finals but also secured the Premier's Plate for the regular season win.

After their not so great start, they went on to win 13 out of their next 18 games and lost only once for the remainder of the season. It served as an inspiration to junior and other teams of every code all over the country that with grit and determination even the toughest of starts to a season can have a fairytale ending. I know that we are setting up our young players with incredible role models that will ensure that this win is the first of many. It was a long wait for this victory, and I know that our championship team will strive to continue to better this and nurture those who come behind them to remember this moment and to build on it.

Our city was electric during that day and during that evening. People were cheering on our streets on their way in and throughout the evening. Even the least likely of soccer fans were caught up in a mood that enlivened our city, packed our cafes and hotels, and saw strangers chatting, cheering and celebrating together. In this regard, I pay tribute to the multitude of Western Sydney Wanderers' fans who attended the game. No matter what the scoreline was, these fans sang, drummed, cheered and relentlessly and vociferously supported their team, adding to one of the best sporting atmospheres I and thousands of others have experienced.

I have a good friend Gary Davenport (Davo), with whom on a Saturday I commentate local Australian rules football on the radio. He is a past Australian rules player and an absolute aficionado of the game. He decided to go to his very first ever soccer game and bought tickets to the grand final. He was ecstatic about the atmosphere and experience. My brother has travelled all over the world and seen soccer in many, many different countries. He said that this experience, here at our fabulous Adelaide Oval, was unparalleled.

Also, importantly, it was an absolute delight to see a gigantic Adelaide United flag flying over the New South Wales Parliament House as a result of a lost bet between New South Wales Premier, Mike Baird and our own Premier, Jay Weatherill. It is always a thrill to see our beautiful state's achievements being recognised across the whole country. It is always a thrill to see our Premier win a bet with a Liberal premier, and this flag flying was a thrill indeed.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: It should have been on the Harbour Bridge.

Ms HILDYARD: Indeed, Madam Deputy Speaker. At this incredible game, I was honoured to meet two of the most significant women in the sport: Matildas' co-captain and one of the greatest footballers in the world, Lisa De Vanna; and Moya Dodd, whose leadership and work with FIFA, the FIFA Women's World Cup, and Football Federation of Australia, is seeing support grow for women in sport across the world.

Dodd's proposal to FIFA on football and women, and why reform must specify inclusion and investment, rocked the soccer world when she submitted it in October 2015. It stated that women must be included in decision-making in the soccer world. Her tireless and enduring leadership provides enormous inspiration for aspiring women leaders in this and many other sports.

The Hon. L.A. Vlahos: An Adelaide girl.

Ms HILDYARD: Absolutely—an Adelaide girl. Interestingly, just last week Adelaide United has taken the Lady Reds back under its banner, five years after it relinquished the W-League side to Football Federation South Australia. Now both Adelaide United teams will be able to do us proud in our highest levels of competition. It really is an exciting time for soccer here in South Australia.

Congratulations again to our champion team. I look forward to their ongoing success and wish them all the best in this very slightly more restful period before the season kicks off again. They have done us all proud, and they have many, many supporters in this house and beyond.