Astrid Taylor's dream was to one day play for Arsenal, but that was a long way away. First she had to start her footballing journey which would hopefully lead to that moment. A forward and striker with a strong kick, she might get there fast, but cr...
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Astrid Taylor had been dreaming of playing for Arsenal Women's football club since she was 5 years old after watching her first game on the TV, immediately begging her parents to take her to a real game, but that was a bit difficult considering they lived in Australia. So through the screen, the obsession continued well into her teens, staying up late or waking up early to watch games and analyse the plays, just so one day she would be good enough to get there.
When she was 6 she joined her first club after finally convincing her parents that this sport would stick, unlike the gymnastics, swimming and karate she had gotten bored with previously. And it turns out she really enjoyed it, and she was kinda good, not great, but she could keep up within those first training sessions and games. Astrid got really into it, spending most of her freetime in the backyard or the pitch down the road just kicking footballs and trying to score goals.
She kept getting better and better with all the extra practice she was putting in outside of regular training. Her coaches, parents, teammates and even other parents would constantly say how impressed they were with her progress and determination as they watched her excel. As she grew up she stayed in the same small club, sticking with who and what she knew, she was comfortable. But she was getting good, fast and helping her team win each game as their captain, constantly leading them to victory at the end of each season.
Football became her life, overtaking everything else, especially school, but if she wanted to get to Arsenal one day; she had to keep pushing. Her family knew that being in a small town club wasn't going to get her far, but they weren't able to move to get her in a bigger club so she stayed with her team and her friends, doing what she loved and working on her skills constantly.
When Astrid was 14 her coach approached her after a game, saying there was someone who wanted to speak with her about her recent performances. That someone turned out to be a Junior Matildas scout. She said she saw videos of Astrid's last few games and started looking into her and all her achievements like constantly winning player of the match, leading her teams to win leagues and her impressive score sheet. The scout asked Astrid if she wanted to join the Junior Matildas squad. It was a dream come true. And her parents made a way for it to happen.
Flash forward a few years and she had dropped out of school to play for the Junior Matildas, being a constant forward in the starting 11 and scoring plenty of winning goals during their games, while also still playing for her local club between matildas camps and the off seasons. When she turned 17, Astrid hoped she would be considered for the next season in the Young Matildas squad and continue playing for her country for the next few years at least. But the call for that squad never came, a different one came instead.
It had been a few weeks since some of the other girls in the junior squad started receiving calls and offers to play for the next level, The Young Matildas U20 squad. But Astrid was patiently waiting for someone to call, and she began to lose hope, her mum and dad trying to comfort her when she returned back home at the end of the season for break. It was taking so long, the anticipation and anxiety eating her alive. She almost gave up but her dad made sure to encourage her to play with him to keep practising at home, keeping her semi distracted.
They were all sitting at the dinner table when her phone began buzzing, a random Sydney number calling and she dropped her fork, scrambling to answer the phone.
"Hello? Astrid speaking." Her parents watched her, holding hands with each other watching as she put it on speaker.
"Hi, this is Gina Rees, the team manager for the CommBank Matildas, how are you?" The voice spoke and Astrid's jaw dropped, her parents eyes widened.
"U-uh good, thank you." She muttered out, voice wavering.
"Good. I was just giving you a call to inform you that you have been invited on the CommBank Matildas squad." Gina spoke and tears sprung to Astrid's eyes.
"Oh my god! Are you serious? This isn't just for the young matildas?!" She tried to keep composed over the phone, but it was hard.
"No. For the national squad." The whole family couldn't believe what Gina was saying. "We've been keeping a watch on you in the junior squad and when it came time for the Young Matildas call up, you exceeded our expectations and thought it was best to consider you for the national squad." Tears fall down her face, mouth wide open while she spoke on the phone. This is what she wanted.
"Wow. T-thank you so much. That's-" She ran a hand through her hair, visibly in shock. "Sorry I'm just at a loss for words." Astrid laughed lightly, Gina doing the same on the other end.
"This is a big and exciting thing, so you have some time. Take the next week to think things over, sort out anything you need to and give me a call by next Friday, okay?" Gina informed Astrid.
"O-okay. Thank you so much Gina." She stood from her chair, excitement rushing through her.
"You're welcome, and congratulations on the call up. Have a good one." She laughed before hanging up. Once the line went dead, Astrid screamed and began jumping up and down, happy tears flowing as her parents engulfed her in a large hug.
"OH MY GOD!!!" Astrid kept jumping, her mum and dad crying and jumping with her. Her parents knew instantly this is what she was made for and they couldn't be prouder. All her hard work was paying off.
That was 3 months ago, before she instantly called Gina back and accepted the offer, and prepared to head to Sydney for her first of many Matildas camps. When Astrid arrived at CommBank stadium she was so nervous, especially being the only new person for that camp, but she instantly clicked with the younger players, especially Charli and Kyra. Even some of the older players like Mackenzie, Alanna and Caitlin quickly took her under their wing, knowing what it's like in the first camp.
Astrid began training harder than ever and her efforts didn't go unnoticed by the coaches and the captains of the team. A-league clubs were finally looking into her after hearing about the new arrival, surprised she wasn't already signed professionally. They all found her accomplishments with the Junior Matildas, and despite yet to make her debut with the national team, from what they saw of training, they were impressed. Astrid had received offers from Sydney FC, Melbourne Victory, Adelaide United and Central Coast United. She was overwhelmed and looked to her teammates for advice before signing with Sydney FC for the remainder of the 2021/2022 season with Courtnee Vine.
Everything was slowly falling into place and Astrid was taking the first steps into becoming a professional footballer.
