Kyah Simon
|
Simon playing for Boston Breakers in 2013 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kyah Pam Simon[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 25 June 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Blacktown, Australia | ||
| Height | 1.64 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Boston Breakers | ||
| Number | 17 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2008–2009 | Central Coast Mariners | 9 | (5) |
| 2009–2013 | Sydney FC | 41 | (23) |
| 2012–2013 | Boston Breakers | 30 | (16) |
| 2013–2014 | Western Sydney Wanderers | 0 | (0) |
| 2014 | Sydney FC | 3 | (1) |
| 2015– | Boston Breakers | 8 | (2) |
| 2015–2016 | → Sydney FC (loan) | 12 | (6) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2008–2009 | Australia U-20 | 15 | (10) |
| 2007– | Australia | 63 | (20) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 24 April 2016. | |||
Kyah Pam Simon (born 25 June 1991) is an Indigenous Australian professional football striker. Simon became the first indigenous woman (she is of Australian-Aboriginal descent) to score for the Australia women's national football team. She currently plays for the Boston Breakers in the American National Women's Soccer League,[2] having previously played for Sydney FC, Central Coast Mariners, and Western Sydney Wanderers in the Australian W-League.
Early life
Growing up amongst a family of rugby players in Quakers Hill, New South Wales, near Sydney, Australia, Simon began playing football for the Quakers Hill under-8s and fell in love with the game. As a youth, she played at for the Hills Brumbies before moving across to Penrith Nepean United. At age fifteen, she broke her leg just on the verge of earning a scholarship with the NSW Institute of Sport, but that did not deter her from pursuing her dream. She made her national debut for the Australia women's national football team the following year at age 16.[3][4]
Playing career
Club
Central Coast Mariners
Kyah made her debut for the Central Coast Mariners against Melbourne Victory on Saturday, 25 October 2008. Kyah then made her scoring debut during Round 3 against Canberra United, scoring a double to assist the Mariners to a 2–1 win away from home.
Sydney FC
Simon joined Sydney FC for the 2009 W-League Season, playing in the first round against former club the Central Coast Mariners.[5]
She was the top scorer in the 2010–11 W-League with 11 goals in 12 games. She also earned Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year and Players Player of the Year honours.[6]
Boston Breakers
In April 2012, Simon signed with the Boston Breakers for the first and only season of the Women's Premier Soccer League Elite (WPSL Elite). She finished the season as the team's leading scorer with 12 goals and 26 points. She also ranked second in the league in the same categories. Simon logged 1,052 minutes with the Breakers and finished with two assists.[4]
In 2013, Simon signed as a free agent with the Breakers for the inaugural season of the National Women's Soccer League.[7][8]
Western Sydney Wanderers
In September 2013, Simon signed with Western Sydney Wanderers.[9]
Return to Sydney FC
After being injured for most of the 2013–14 season and hardly playing, Simon returned to Sydney FC for the 2014 season.[10]
Return to Boston Breakers
On 30 June 2015, after leading the Australia women's national football team to a quarter-final of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, the Boston Breakers announced the signing of Kyah Simon; returning her to the National Women's Soccer League.[11]
International
Simon made her debut for the Australia women's national football team in August 2007, at the age of 16, in a match against Hong Kong. She scored her first goal in a win over Brazil in the 2008 Peace Cup. In 2010, she scored the winning penalty for Australia to win the 2010 Asian Cup.[4]
Simon appeared at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, where she scored both of Australia's goals in a 2–1 win over Norway to ensure qualification for the quarter finals. She was the first ever Indigenous Australian (male or female) to score a goal in a World Cup tournament.[4]
In Canada during the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup round of 16 match against higher ranked Brazil, Simon slotted in the winning goal on a rebound after an initial attempt by Lisa De Vanna bounced off the Brazilian goalkeeper Luciana. The Matildas qualified for a historic quarterfinal match after the 1–0 win against Brazil, however were knocked out by Japan in the quarterfinal. Simon played each of Australia's 5 matches and scored 3 goals, including both goals in a 2–0 win against Nigeria in group stage.
In popular culture
Television and film
 Aussies Abroad: The Matildas (ESPN) retrieved 12/18/2013 |
In 2013, Simon was featured in an hour-long episode of ESPN's Aussies Abroad entitled, The Matildas, which profiled four Australian national team players (Simon, Lisa De Vanna, Samantha Kerr, and Caitlin Foord) and their experience playing internationally.[12][13] Simon was also one of the subjects of a football documentary titled "No Apologies" by award winning filmmaker Ashley Morrison. This documentary tells the story of two Aboriginal female footballers and their journey to the World Cup. The other footballer featured in this documentary is Lydia Williams.
Magazines
In June 2011, Simon was on the cover of the Australian FourFourTwo Magazine along with fellow Matilda's Melissa Barbieri, Sam Kerr, Thea Slatyer and Sarah Walsh.[14]
Career statistics
International appearances
- As of 6 March 2016
| Australia national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2007 | 1 | 0 |
| 2008 | 11 | 1 |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | 10 | 1 |
| 2011 | 11 | 5 |
| 2012 | 7 | 4 |
| 2013 | 2 | 0 |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 16 | 5 |
| 2016 | 3 | 4 |
| Total | 61 | 20 |
International goals
Scores and results list Australia's goal tally first.
Honours
Club
Country
Individual
References
- ↑ "List of Players – 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 17 June 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ↑ "Breakers sign Australian forward Kyah Simon - Boston Breakers". bostonbreakerssoccer.com.
- ↑ "This Sporting Life: Kyah Simon". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 "Kyah Simon". Boston Breakers. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
- ↑ "FourFourTwo". fourfourtwo.com.
- ↑ "Kyah Simon". NO APOLOGIES.
- ↑ "Kyah Simon is returning to the Boston Breakers". NWSL News. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
- ↑ "Simon studying Stateside". Football Federation Australia. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
- ↑ Odong, Ann (24 September 2013). "Kyah Simon wanders home to Western Sydney". The Women's Game.
- ↑ "Westfield W-League Squad Bolstered As New Shirt Sponsor Gained". Football Federation Australia. 29 August 2014.
- ↑ "BOSTON BREAKERS SIGN AUSTRALIAN FORWARD KYAH SIMON; This will be Simon’s second stint with the Breakers". nwslsoccer.com.
- ↑ "The Matildas". ESPN. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
- ↑ "Aussies Abroad: The Matildas". YouTube.com. ESPN. 23 October 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
- ↑ "Kyah: Now I've Got Your Attention...". Four Four Two. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
External links
- Kyah Simon – FIFA competition record
- Football Federation Australia player profile
- Boston Breakers player profile
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