Ten thousand people await with bated breath. We are a sea of green and yellow. Our gaze is locked on the projection of Cortnee Vine as she charges for the ball. After a goalless 120 minutes, 10 rounds of penalties, it was down to this. The score was 6-6. She kicks…

A month ago, my parents received their Australian citizenship. They were each given a certificate, a gold coin, and a plastic flag. Those few loose items would mean very little on a different night. But as we walked home from the ceremony venue, they held the weight of a decade of perseverance and hard work. Yet we were still unsure of our identity, and what hung in joyous conversation that dinner was a single question. What does it mean to belong in a country we call home?

We stumbled upon the answer on one family outing to the city. Strolling past Federation Square, we saw large crowds transfixed by the soccer game shown on the large screen. It was the Women’s World Cup, with the Australia team, the Matildas, playing on home soil. The energy in the square was electric. The tension heightened with each pass of the ball. The crowd gasped, cheered and shouted. The excitement was infectious, and we joined them in their support. Before we knew it, we were swept off by the currents of the game. I began to regularly check scores between classes at school. My dad, who loved football in his youth but never found a team to root for, reviewed the rules of the sport and explained them to us during moments of confusion in each match. My mum thrifted an Australian World Cup beanie in green and yellow. She wore it to every game.

She wears it in this moment, as the ball hangs on its axis, in weighted air between shooter and goal. The crowd in the square is silent. The supporters in the stadium on the screen are silent. On the next street, the pubs and bars are silent. Waiters and bartenders pause to watch the TV. Residents are silent in high-rise apartments and suburban houses. Australia unites in silence. That is until it is broken by the sound impact. The ball hits the net after narrowly escaping the goalkeeper’s fingertips. The world erupts. We are screaming, jumping up and down, high-fiving strangers, and laughing. For the first time in history, an Australia soccer team is into the semi-finals.

I now know the meaning of belonging. It is when a community unites in the highs and lows of a single experience and discover meaning together. We recognize that we are never alone or excluded. We become a collective as we feel suspense and relief, sadness, and joy, as we undergo defeat and success. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from. On the way home, our smiles are unanimous.