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 was beyond happy to be back home with her family. Although she had learnt over the years to be more independent and happy on her own while away on national camps and now with Sydney FC, she always missed her parents and tried to spend as much time with them as she could when she came home.
Over the week she made sure to catch up with her extended family who lived close by, visiting her old club and teammates and spending plenty of time at the beach even though it was nearing winter time.
Of course she kept up with her training and fitness even though she was technically on a break, knowing that even a small falter could impact her chance of a spot in the squad on the next camp. So even while she was out of her regular environment, she kept up with her routine; wake up, go for a run, have a smoothie, go to the gym, do a bit of training on a pitch with her dad and then have the day to spend catching up with the people she loved.
Astrid loved being back home with everyone for the week, but a small part of her missed the life she had created for herself in Sydney, finding solace in having a space to herself. So after saying her goodbyes to her friends and family, she began the drive back, obviously playing Taylor Swift the whole way.
She had only been driving for 30 minutes when her music was interrupted by a phone call from Lisa, her agent.
"Hey Lisa." Astrid spoke after answering the call.
"Hey Astrid, how you doing?" Lisa asked.
"Yeah I'm good, just on my way back to Sydney now. How are you?" Astrid was a little confused at the phone call but maybe she had something important to tell her.
"Nice. Yeah I'm good." Lisa paused. "I know I've been M.I.A for a little bit, sorry, but I've got a few updates for you." She added.
"Oh okay. Yeah?" Astrid had been waiting for Lisa to get in contact with her for a while.
"Okay, so first up, next Matildas camp. They've set up two games against Spain and Portugal, and though no squad announcement or calls have been made, I'm feeling hopeful for you. Mainly because of your recent performances and the fact a lot of senior players won't be joining." Lisa informed her and Astrid felt a smile grow on her face.
"Those games will be good and yeah, hopefully." Astrid responded, waiting for Lisa to continue.
"Second; club season." Lisa paused.
"Yep." Astrid grew nervous, having waited a while to hear anything since the season finished.
"Sydney FC have put in an offer for you to sign on with them again for the 2022/23 season which is great, you know everything and everyone there. And we know how much you can succeed there." Astrid let out a sigh of relief. "I've also been contacted by some international teams... if you are interested." Lisa added on.
