“I’ve seen the future,” proclaimed soccer writer Aidan Ormond back in 2009, after witnessing the most exhilarating goal from a then unknown 15-year-old. That audacious goal kicker: Sam Kerr. As she leads the Matildas through the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Ormond takes us on a green and gold journey through the team’s tumultuous history – full of historic highs, heartbreaking lows and athletic legends who’ve paved the way for this year’s side – as we celebrate the beautiful game.

More highlights in our edition:

• Here at The Big Issue, the Women’s Community Street Soccer Program isn’t just an excuse for a kick about. It invites women of all ages, backgrounds and skill levels into a safe, fun-loving community – where editor Amy Hetherington gets to meet some legends of the game.
• In 2003, on the streets of Austria, Homeless World Cup co-founder Mel Young knew he’d created something special. Today he reflects on the tournament’s 20-year history – and why he hopes it won’t be needed in the year 2043.
• English expat Vicky Daddo learns that football isn’t the same in the land down under.
• Welsh actor Michael Sheen talks fighting the good fight, finding liberation, and giving his money away for a cause close to his heart.
• In The Big Picture, photographer Tomohiro Ohsumi hangs out with the hot-tubbing monkeys of Jigokudani Yaen-kōen in the mountains of Japan.
• Author Briohny Doyle draws on her eternal love for her father, her partner and her dog, Baby, in her latest novel Why We Are Here.
• Actor Marta Dusseldorp rises to the triple challenge of writing, producing and starring in Bay of Fires, a darkly comic thriller shot in Tasmania’s chilly wilderness.
• After decades in the music game, composer (and architect) Simona Castricum finally gets her Phil Collins moment on SINK.
• Plus, in Tastes Like Home, Tilly Pamment shares her recipe for a plain cake with passionfruit buttercream.