When Australia tuned in for the Matildas’ electrifying season, there was one name on everyone’s lips: Mary Fowler
The 21-year-old Matilda was instrumental in the team’s success during the FIFA World Cup after captain Sam Kerr was ruled out of the early games due to an injury, scoring a goal in the 4-0 win over Canada and assisting Caitlin Foord’s goal against Denmark.
Playing her first game for Australia at age 15, it’s clear Mary has become an instrumental player in Australia’s winning squad, but as more and more fans prepare to tune in for Matildas’ Olympic Games Paris 2024 matches, games, many are curious as to why Mary wears gloves during the match.
Why does Mary Fowler wear gloves?
Many believed Mary only wore the gloves to battle the cold weather when playing for Manchester City and were surprised to see her still sporting them when playing for Australia in the Women’s FIFA World Cup.
However, in a recent chat with Marck Schwarzer, she admitted the reason was “just a bit silly really.”
“The gloves….I honestly just wear gloves because I get fidgety,” she explained. “Usually I train with a ring on but if it’s cold I wear gloves and you can’t wear a ring in a match so I wear gloves, it stops me moving around so much.”
Sam Kerr’s absence throughout the World Cup saw Mary assume extra responsibility within the team, an opportunity she didn’t take lightly.
“It’s great. It’s an amazing opportunity, and one that not many people get,” she told 7News at the time.
“I’ve come in at a really fortunate time when we have a home World Cup, and we have a squad that’s so willing to fight for that win and fight for their country.”
“I’m just enjoying being able to play with the older girls and learn from them, and then hopefully when I get chances like this, I’m able to fill the shoes of whoever was there before me.”
Mary Fowler isn’t the only athlete to sport unusual accessories. Women’s Tennis World No. 1 Iga Swiatek baffled fans in 2023 when she was spotted training with tape over her mouth.
The Polish tennis star put rumours to rest, explaining the reasoning behind the unusual training technique to increase her breathing ability through her nose.
“It’s harder to breathe when you’re only breathing with your nose, and it’s easier for my heart rate to go up,” Swiatek told reporters during Media Day.
“I’m not going to explain it to you perfectly because I’m not an expert. Sometimes I don’t get the things they tell me to do, but I’m doing that for a long time now so it got pretty easy.
“But for sure you can see the difference in how everything you do on the court is getting more and more hard with that tape on your mouth. So I guess it’s the way to kind of work on my endurance by not having me run so fast and do extreme things.”
