The Big Interview: Kyah Simon (Australia)

Kyah Simon
Nationality: Australia
DOB: 25/06/1991
Position: Forward
Current Club: Boston Breakers (USA) / Sydney FC (Australia)
Previous Clubs: Central Coast Mariners, Western Sydney Wanderers (both Australia)

Most footballers dream of making it in the professional ranks as children, sitting around watching their heroes at the stadium or on television; Kyah Simon knew that was her path almost as soon as she had played her first match.

“I remember after my very first couple of sessions as an eight-year-old that I went home to mum and I told her straight away that I’m going to play for Australia one day; I’m not quite sure what she made of it at the time!,” says Simon.

Looking back now, with more than half a century of Matildas caps to her name at the age of just 24, it might have all seemed somehow preordained, but football was not even her first love as a young girl.

Growing up in the western suburbs of Australia’s largest city, Sydney, Simon began playing sport as a six-year-old but that was the rough and tumble of rugby league, before football took a hold.

“Both my dad and my brother played rugby league so that’s where everything started,” she adds.

“I played that from six till almost 10 and with football starting when I was eight I had several years where I was forever jumping from one sport to the next. I remember being in the back of my parent’s car and having to madly rip off my league shirt to put on the football one, so that was a lot of fun.”

Eventually football was the sport that won out, but right the way up to the age of 13, Simon played exclusively in boys teams.