The huddle

Inspired by the growing momentum of an inclusive sporting culture and concerned by the backlash against women in male-dominant sports, McMonagle considers these ideas on the equal ground of the soccer field. In The huddle (2016) the artist has taken her delicately rendered watercolours from the wall and placed them in a three- dimensional environment, on life-size cutout figures. Eleven female figures, an entire soccer team, gather in a tight circle for a half- time pep talk. Rather than focusing on the action of the game, McMonagle depicts a moment of pause, of discussion with team mates and guidance from the coach. Women's sport has gained significant attention over the past few years, with the Matildas (the Australian women's soccer team) making history by reaching the Quarter Finals at the Women's World Cup. While the artist follows these achievements with interest, this work isn't about the glamour of the World Cup; it is about capturing a moment in a suburban park in which teenage girls play a game of soccer. McMonagle's figures do not reference any individual sportswoman or a specific match; instead they speak of the increasing acknowledgement of women athletes in the media, of promising developments in training for girls, and of the challenges that remain in closing the wage gap.