Lydia Bruce was there for all the heart-stopping action of the FIFA Women's World Cup, but she wasn't on the sidelines, in the stands or even in front of the large-screen television.
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The Woonona woman was venue access manager during the WWC, and before games even began, she had to get to know "every square inch" of Sydney Football Stadium and Stadium Australia, people's lives depended on it.
There were more than 225,000 spectators, along with thousands of supporters, officials, coaches and players at the six SFS games she managed.
She also managed at SA twice when the Matildas were playing, there were around 150,000 spectators at those games.
There were so many opportunities for things to go wrong, but they didn't.
"It's a high pressure event environment," Ms Bruce said. "It's only for certain types of people, it is extreme. It's really long hours, but I love it, I just run on adrenaline.
"You've got such a sense of purpose by the time you get to that operational period. You know what your role is, you know exactly how you need to work with other people, and you're an autopilot, you just go."
The University of Wollongong graduate loves sport. As an 18-year-old she was so determined to work at big sporting events, she moved from her home in Hobart to attend UOW so she'd have a better chance of achieving her goal.
"I vividly remember studying for my HSC exams when the Sydney Olympics was on, and thinking I want to work at the Olympics. I want to do a degree that will lead to me working at the Olympics," she said.
While the WWC is massive, it's not the first time she's managed large-scale sporting events. She was also involved with the 2022 UCI Road World Championships in Wollongong.
"That gave me a real taste for how major events work," she said. "All the different pieces of the puzzle that have to go together for these world-scale events, because they're so completely different from your average fun run or triathlon."
She was in charge of accreditation and security to ensure the safety and integrity of the competition.
"I was making sure that all the accredited areas were really safe and secure, and only the right people were going into the right areas," she said.
"I was responsible for hundreds of security guards ... FIFA is such a huge sporting organisation, they just take safety and security, super-seriously. It was a critical role."
Moments she witnessed during matches at SFS, where many smaller countries such as Panama and Columbia played, will stay with her forever.
"Some of these athletes come from countries where football is their life, and every family's dream is [that] their son or daughter becomes a football player. For women, especially, it was more challenging to become a famous football player.
"They're the memories that I take away, that this tournament created opportunities for these athletes to be seen on this global scale."
As she considers what's next in her career, she's disappointed the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Victoria were cancelled, but is still hopeful of achieving her Olympic dream one day.
Her time with the WWC was "ridiculously hard work", but she loved it.
"Australia has really got behind the tournament, and it's so great to see how successful the Matildas did. That really solidified, you know, how great women's sport can be," she said.
She's not working for the final WWC game - Spain v England - and is looking forward to being a fan and watching from the grandstand.
Keen to work at large sporting events?
For anyone hoping to follow in Ms Bruce's footsteps she completed a double degree - Bachelor of Exercise Science and a Bachelor of Commerce at UOW.
She also volunteered loads of times at managing events before she got her first paid job.
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Nadine Morton
Nadine Morton covers emergency services and breaking news for the Illawarra Mercury. She takes pride in regional journalism which she believes is crucial to informing our towns and cities. Have a story? Email her at nadine.morton@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Nadine Morton covers emergency services and breaking news for the Illawarra Mercury. She takes pride in regional journalism which she believes is crucial to informing our towns and cities. Have a story? Email her at nadine.morton@austcommunitymedia.com.au
