The first involvement of Oceania nations in women’s soccer came about in 1975, when New Zealand and Australia were invited to participate in the Asian Cup, which was being held in Hong Kong. To this point, New Zealand had never played at international level, the first officially recognised leagues in this country having been established in 1973. The prospect of playing at international level had a unifying effect on the country’s women’s associations, however, and the New Zealand Women’s Football Association was formed just prior to the country’s participation in the Hong Kong tournament. History will show that the Kiwis (pictured right) went on to triumph in their first-ever foray in international women’s soccer, the Asian Cup heading east of Down Under as a result of a 3-1 win over Thailand in the final. En route to the ultimate stage, New Zealand downed Australia 3-2 in the first-ever trans-tasman battle. After a four-year hiatus, rivalries were resumed in 1979, with both the Kiwis and the Matildas winning a match in the three-test Trans-Tasman Cup series, with the other being drawn. The first instance of the other Oceania nations becoming part of the women’s soccer scene in the region came about in 1983, with the advent of the Oceania Cup. The first tournament was held in New Caledonia prior to Christmas that year and, as was to be expected, both Fiji and the host nation suffered at the hands of their more experienced contenders, with the Fijians copping a couple of double-figure hidings. As with their first venture in the Asian Cup, New Zealand was successful in the inaugural Oceania Cup tournament too, defeating Australia 3-2 after extra-time in the final, after the Matildas had led 2-0 at one stage. Three years later, rivalries resumed in Christchurch at Easter, with Papua New Guinea and Taiwan - then in the Oceania region due to the political situation with their Chinese neighbours - entering the tournament. Both Fiji and New Caledonia declined the opportunity to enter the fray in 1985, while PNG pulled out at the last minute, meaning that New Zealand were forced to field a B team, as well as their A selection. The stretching of their resources ultimately counted against the host nation, with the visiting teams advancing to the final, where Australia’s flame was well and truly doused by the Taiwanese, whose efforts at the 1981 and 1984 World Invitational Tournaments, both of which were hosted by Taiwan, saw them unofficially ranked in the top three of women’s soccer’s elite. At the third World Invitational Tournament, in 1987, New Zealand (pictured left) acquitted themselves very well indeed, finishing second-equal - fourth on goal difference - at the conclusion of the event, at which it recorded a famous 1-0 victory over a USA combination which included such women’s soccer luminaries as Kristine Lilly and Mia Hamm in its starting line-up. Taiwan came back to defend the Oceania Cup in 1989, the Easter event this time taking place in Brisbane. Papua New Guinea also made it for the first time, with Australia taking the opportunity, as New Zealand did three years previously, to blood some of their up-and-coming prospects, by way of fielding a second team. As had been the case in Christchurch in 1986, the host nation paid the short-term price for splitting the pack, so to speak, with neither Australian side, nor the inexperienced PNG team, making it to the final. That honour was bestowed upon New Zealand and Taiwan, with the Kiwis downing the Asian side 1-0 in round-robin play as they swept to the final without conceding a goal. Enter the elements, the teeming rain in Brisbane combining with the efforts of the Taiwanese rearguard to repel New Zealand’s attacks time and time again. One counter-attack led to the only goal of the final, and Taiwan held onto the cup. It was to be the last occasion that the Oceania Cup was contested, as the long-awaited sanctioning of a World Cup for women’s soccer by FIFA saw the first such finals taking place in China in 1991. Oceania’s representatives were determined by a round-robin series in Sydney in May of that year, with Papua New Guinea proving mere cannon-fodder for the rampant attacks of New Zealand and the host nation. In the end, it came down to goal difference, both trans-tasman rivals having beaten each other in round-robin play. And it was the Kiwis (pictured right), by virtue of their 16-0 triumph over PNG - to that point, the country’s record victory - who took the slow boat to China in time for the pre-Christmas festival of women’s soccer. Unfortunately for New Zealand, it was an even slower trip back home, made so by defeats at the hands of Denmark (0-3), eventual runners-up Norway (0-4) and China (1-4), against whom Kim Nye scored New Zealand’s only goal to date at the Women’s World Cup Finals. The next series of World Cup qualifying action came around in October 1994, this time in Port Moresby. Again, Papua New Guinea were no match for the elite nations of Oceania women’s soccer, although they had improved to an extent - there were no double-figure hidings this time round! Indeed, New Zealand could only muster six goals against the host nation in two games, statistics which meant that Australia represented Oceania in Sweden at the June 1995 finals, although they found the going just as hard as their trans-tasman rivals had done four years previously. Denmark (5-0), China (4-2 - Angela Iannotta and Sunni Hughes (pictured left, centre) the markswomen) and defending champions the USA (4-1 - Lisa Casagrande on target) extinguished the Matildas’ hopes of improving the region’s standing, in terms of results, on the world stage. With the region having no involvement in the inaugural Olympic Games competition for women’s soccer in 1996, Oceania’s female footballing elite have sought to improve their standing by travelling the world to take on rival nations, as well as attracting some of them to this area of the world. Fortunes have been mixed, to say the least. While the Matildas have recorded wins over largely second- and third-tier opposition - the obvious exception to this record being a triumph over China in pre-2000 Olympics action, they have also copped a couple of good old-fashioned hidings - the USA and Norway respectively tanked the Australians 9-1 and 7-1 in 1997. Meanwhile, the SWANZ, whose involvement on the international stage has become somewhat irregular, to say the least, were embarrassed 8-0 by Germany a year later, a result which was part of their preparations for the 1998 Oceania Women’s World Cup qualifying series, which took place in Auckland. For the first time, six nations contested Oceania’s lone automatic qualifying place, with Samoa and American Samoa both commencing life on the world stage by taking on New Zealand and Australia respectively, on October 9. Both big guns recorded 21-0 triumphs over their inexperienced rivals, a scoreline which equalled the world record victory initially set by Japan over Guam in 1997 in an Asian Women’s World Cup qualifier, and later equalled by Canada in 1998, in a CONCACAF Women’s World Cup qualifying encounter with Puerto Rico. Fiji and Papua New Guinea recorded their first international victories during the Oceania play-offs, but it was left to the big two to fight it out for a place at USA ‘99. Australia prevailed, 3-1, but again failed to impress on the big stage. Despite scoring in every match - Julie Murray, with two, and Cheryl Salisbury were responsible for the goals - the Matildas returned home earlier than planned, following a 1-1 draw with Ghana, and 3-1 defeats at the hands of both Sweden and eventual runners-up China. But Australia returned home assured of participating in the 2000 Olympic tournament, as hosts. The Matildas prepared for this event like none before, with a wealth of activity, including hosting the inaugural Pacific Cup tournament. This was attended by the USA, China, Canada, Japan and New Zealand, the first games for the SWANZ on the international scene since the last Women’s World Cup qualifying series. Ultimately, their lack of experience counted against them, as narrow defeats by Canada and Japan were followed by heavier reversals against the other nations, including the reigning World and Olympic champions, for whom Christie Pearce is shown edging out Amanda Crawford (right). Australia, meanwhile, scored victories over Japan and the SWANZ, and took China all the way to a penalty shoot-out, before defeats by Canada and the USA left Oceania’s two representatives in the six-team tournament firmly entrenched in the bottom half of the table. For the Olympics hosts, it proved to be a bad omen, as the Matildas again failed to perform when the curtain lifted on the main event. A first-up 3-0 defeat by Germany left Australia needing to win their remaining matches, but a 1-1 draw with Sweden - Cheryl Salisbury the scorer, and a 2-1 defeat by Brazil, in which Sunni Hughes found the target, meant another early exit. To add insult to injury, Australia, despite being the only country to put themselves forward to host the 2003 Women’s World Cup Finals by the closing date for such submissions, were overlooked in favour of an after-deadline bid by China, meaning that only one nation will fly Oceania’s hopes once again at the next world celebration of the women’s game. Individually, Oceania's female players are beginning to make their mark in ever-increasing numbers on the world stage. Maureen Jacobson, Michele Cox and Donna Baker have all played in professional leagues in Europe, while a number of New Zealand's up-and-coming players are looking to make it in the USA via the scholarship programmes at various universities. A couple of the Kiwi contingent would, I believe, have the ability to foot it with the world's best in the WUSA, the Women's United Soccer Alliance, to give it the professional American women's league its proper title. The biggest problem the likes of Maia Jackman are faced with is their lack of exposure on the international stage - go here for my thoughts on that subject. Meanwhile, the Matildas' players, with their regular diet of international football, enjoy such exposure, and the benefits which come from it. While Sunni Hughes and Cheryl Salisbury have both played professionally in Japan, there can be little doubting which player has been Australia's most successful export. Julie Murray has only just hung up her boots from playing professionally, but she has chosen to do so at the very top, having fired the Bay Area CyberRays to victory in the inaugural WUSA Grand Final - she is pictured celebrating her goal in that match. She will continue to play for The Matildas for the foreseeable future, however. With a local Summer League now well established for their elite Australian-based women, to supplement the efforts of their overseas-based contingent, not to mention the Matildas'  international schedule, Australia has every right to expect themselves to be Oceania's representatives at World Cup and Olympic tournaments for the foreseeable future ... much to New Zealand's chagrin! That said, the Kiwis have begun to catch up a little, with Maia Jackman and Simone Ferrara both having been among the inaugural imports on short-term professional contracts in the Chinese Women's Super League in 2002, while that same year marked the inaugural National Women's Soccer League in New Zealand. But with their infrequent activity on the international front - just five matches in fifty months since the Oceania Women's World Cup qualifying series in 1998, compared to Australia's forty-five games - New Zealand will invariably find it tough going to better their age-old rivals and reign supreme in Oceania women's soccer circles once again.