Blossom anew

As a commentator, Gill is excited about the upcoming Women's Asian Cup, and was also impressed by her recent China trip. During her stay in Shanghai earlier this month, she met with former Steel Roses captain Pu Wei and female international referee Dong Fangyu, as well as with teenage players in the city's Yangpu district.

"They are fantastic kids with really good skills. It's really fun to jump back in with them and Pu Wei. She is still such a talented footballer, and it's a real privilege to play alongside her," said Gill following a training session with Pu and her young charges at the Baiyangdian Football Elite Base on Feb 5.

As a veteran of three FIFA Women's World Cups and three Olympics, Pu claimed many major awards, including a runner-up medal at the Women's World Cup in 1999 and winning the Women's Asian Cup in 2006. Upon her retirement on Feb 15, 2014, Pu had earned 219 caps for China.

Now, as women's head coach at Baiyangdian Football Elite Base, Pu is relentlessly cultivating the next generation of young soccer talent with an eye firmly set on sowing the seeds of success for future Steel Roses to bloom.

When asked about the Australian challenge, Pu noted that the Matildas are an intensely physical team, confrontational and rapid in transition between offense and defense.

The team's overall style, she said, is open, direct and aggressive, with an emphasis on the high press.

"The core players on the team enjoy the game, and are calm and resilient beyond their years. The Matildas play more than a sporting role in Australia, but are more of a national cultural icon in the promotion of gender equality and an inspiration to younger generations of players," she added.

Pu was also inspired by Gill's visit, and hopes to enhance training cooperation between the two nations. Combining Australia's training system and China's talent and facilities, she wants to cultivate more teenage players with professional potential, as well as top-level coaches.

"A good youth football system should not only be about fostering skilled players, but more about cultivating the youth themselves, making them physically robust, mentally mature, and capable of thriving in a competitive society," said Pu.

Xin Jialin, a 15-year-old trainee at the base, has been playing soccer since first grade in primary school.

Despite the increasing stress of studying in senior high school, she enjoys every minute spent on the field with her teammates and Pu. She was thrilled at Gill's unexpected participation in training.

"I never expected that I would be trained by someone like coach Pu. And today I saw that Grace Gill is also a fantastic player. They have already lived our dream. Their experience gave me so much confidence about the future of being a woman footballer," said Xin after the training session with Pu and Gill.

Pu has also sowed the same confidence in many other trainees like Xin, saying firmly: "I believe that the Steel Roses will blossom again."