Brisbane, 2023. A 25-year-old stands twelve yards from goal. Between her and history: a goalkeeper, a football, and the weight of an entire nation watching.

Cortnee Vine is the youngest player on the pitch. If she scores, Australia reach their first ever FIFA World Cup semi-final, and it’s all happening on home soil. Until now, women's football had been a side story. But in this moment, everything is about to change.

But this story isn't just about what happened on the pitch. It's about the hundred days before that kick - when a telecommunications company took a gamble. What if 85% of the country decided to watch? What if the Matildas went all the way? What if technology helped change the standing of women’s football forever?

Stadium networks upgraded ahead of schedule. A content delivery network rebuilt from scratch. A studio constructed inside a telco office. Engineers watching dashboards as numbers jumped by tens, then hundreds, then thousands, then tens of thousands - in microseconds. The longest penalty shootout in FIFA history unfolding while invisible infrastructure carried it to millions of screens across a continent.

This is the story of the penalty kick that changed everything - on and off the pitch.

Some sporting events are just games. Others stop a nation in its tracks.

Welcome to The Relentless Optimist.

The Relentless Optimist is a Meliora podcast. We believe better is always possible.

Find out more: www.meliora.company

This podcast is produced by 18Sixty - podcasts for ambitious brands.

CHAPTERS:

(00:00) Introduction