Kyah Pam Simon (born 25 June 1991) is an Australian professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player who plays as a striker for

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...

of the

FA Women's Super League The Women's Super League (WSL), currently known as the Barclays Women's Super League (BWSL) for sponsorship reasons, is the highest league of women's football in England. Established in 2010, it is run by the Football Association and features t ...

. In 2011, Simon became the first

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

player to score a goal in a

FIFA Women's World Cup The FIFA Women's World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association ( FIFA), the sport's international governing bo ...

. Simon has played for

Sydney FC Sydney Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The club was fo ...

Central Coast Mariners Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It competes in the A-League Men, under licence from the Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The Ma ...

Western Sydney Wanderers Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club (colloquially known as Western Sydney, or simply as Wanderers) is an Australian professional soccer club based in the Western Sydney region of Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier ...

, and Melbourne City in the Australian W-League, as well as

Boston Breakers The Boston Breakers were an American professional soccer club based in the Boston neighborhood of Allston. The team competed in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). They replaced the original Breakers, who competed in the defunct Women's ...

and

Houston Dash The Houston Dash is a professional women's soccer team based in Houston, Texas. It joined the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in the 2014 season, and is affiliated with the MLS team Houston Dynamo FC. History Establishment On November ...

in the American

National Women's Soccer League The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a professional women's soccer league at the top of the United States league system. It is owned by the teams and, until 2020, was under a management contract with the United States Soccer Federatio ...

(NWSL).

Early life and education

Kyah Pam Simon, who is of

Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...

descent, was born on 25 June 1991 in the

western suburbs of Sydney Greater Western Sydney (GWS) is a large region of the metropolitan area of Greater Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), Australia that generally embraces the north-west, south-west, central-west, and far western sub-regions within Sydney's metropol ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, one of four children. Her mother, Pam, is of the Anaiwan people, while her father, Gordon, is of the

Biripi The Birrbay people, also spelt Birpai, Biripi, Birippi and variant spellings, are an Aboriginal Australian people of New South Wales. They and share a dialect continuum with the Worimi people. Language The Gathang language (aka Gadjang or Wori ...

and

Kamilaroi The Gamilaraay, also known as Gomeroi, Kamilaroi, Kamillaroi and other variations, are an Aboriginal Australian people whose lands extend from New South Wales to southern Queensland. They form one of the four largest Indigenous nations in Aust ...

peoples. The family moved to

Quakers Hill Quakers Hill is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is westnorth-west (WNW) of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Blacktown. Quakers Hill is part of the Grea ...

when she was a year old and she attended school at

Pacific Hills Christian School The Pacific Hills Christian School is an independent, non-denominational Christian, co-educational, early learning, primary, and secondary day school, located in the suburb of Dural, in the Hills District of Sydney, New South Wales, Austra ...

, with her siblings. She only later realised what enormous sacrifices her parents had made for their children to attend private school, and to support her career. She later attended

Hills Sports High School Hills Sports High School is a government-funded co-educational comprehensive and specialist secondary day school, with speciality in sports, located on Best Road, Seven Hills, in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The ...

, where

Alen Stajcic Alen Stajcic (born 2 November 1973) is a former Australian soccer player and is the head coach of the Philippines women's national football team. While as a footballer he was a NSW Premier League player and an Australian Youth Representative. ...

(later coach of the Matildas) was head coach. Growing up amongst a family of

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

players, Simon was introduced to soccer by her neighbors, and began playing for the Quakers Hill under-8s and fell in love with the game. As a youth, she played for the Hills Brumbies before moving across to Penrith Nepean United. At age 15, she broke her leg just on the verge of earning a scholarship with the

NSW Institute of Sport The New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) is a high performance sports training institute located in New South Wales, Australia. The New South Wales government agency provides world leading coaching, performance support and daily training e ...

, but that did not deter her from pursuing her dream. She made her national debut for the

Australia women's national soccer team The Australia women's national soccer team is overseen by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia, which is currently a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the regional ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) s ...

the following year at age 16.

Club career

Central Coast Mariners

Simon made her debut for the

against

Melbourne Victory Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Competing in the country's premier men's competition, the A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL), Victory e ...

on Saturday, 25 October 2008. Simon then made her scoring debut during Round 3 against

Canberra United Canberra United Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in the southern Canberra suburb of Wanniassa, Australian Capital Territory. Founded in 2008 by Capital Football, the club was an inaugural member of the W-League and t ...

, scoring a double to assist the Mariners to a 2–1 win away from home.

Sydney FC

Simon joined

for the 2009 W-League Season, playing in the first round against former club the

. 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.

Boston Breakers

In April 2012, Simon signed with the

for the first and only season of the

Women's Premier Soccer League Elite The Women's Premier Soccer League Elite (WPSL Elite) was a women's semi-professional soccer league created by the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) to support the sport in the United States, both from continued interest by WPSL teams in profess ...

(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. In 2013, Simon signed as a free agent with the Breakers for the inaugural season of the

Western Sydney Wanderers

In September 2013, Simon signed with

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.

Return to Boston Breakers

On 30 June 2015, after leading the

to a quarter-final of the

2015 FIFA Women's World Cup The 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup was the seventh FIFA Women's World Cup, the quadrennial international soccer championship contested by the women's national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The tournament was hosted by Canada for the ...

, the Boston Breakers announced the signing of Simon, returning her to the

. In January 2017, citing a need to "get my mind and body back to 100 percent health and fitness, and be ready for the next season", it was announced that Simon would not return to the Boston Breakers for the 2017 season. The Breakers retain the rights to her contract for the 2017 season.

Melbourne City

On 6 October 2017, Simon returned to Australia, joining Melbourne City.

Houston Dash

After the Breakers folded ahead of the 2018 NWSL season, the NWSL held a dispersal draft to distribute Breakers players across the league. Her rights were selected 6th overall by Houston. On 28 February, the Dash announced they signed Simon to a contract. She made her debut for the Dash on 28 April against the

North Carolina Courage The North Carolina Courage is a professional women's soccer team based in Cary, North Carolina. It was founded on January 9, 2017, after Stephen Malik acquired National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) franchise rights from the Western New York F ...

in a 2–0 loss. Simon scored her first goal of the season in a 1–1 draw against the

Portland Thorns FC The Portland Thorns FC is an American professional women's soccer team based in Portland, Oregon. Established in 2012, the team began play in 2013 in the then-eight-team National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), which receives support from the Uni ...

on 9 May. Following the 2019 NWSL season, the Dash and Kyah came to a mutual agreement to depart the club, placing her on the re-entry wire.

International career

Simon made her debut for the

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. Simon appeared at the

2011 FIFA Women's World Cup The 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup was the sixth FIFA Women's World Cup competition, the world championship for women's national association football teams. It was held from 26 June to 17 July 2011 in Germany, which won the right to host the even ...

, where she scored both of Australia's goals in a 2–1 win over

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

to ensure qualification for the quarter finals. She was the first male or female

player to score a goal in a World Cup tournament. During the

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 Lisa Marie De Vanna (born 14 November 1984) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Perth Glory. She has previously played for Adelaide Sensation, Western Waves, Doncaster Rovers Belles, AIK, Perth Glory, Washingt ...

bounced off the Brazilian goalkeeper Luciana. The Matildas qualified for a historic quarter-final 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. During the

2020 Tokyo Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...

, Simon became the ninth Matilda and first

player to reach 100 caps. The Matildas qualified for the quarter-finals and beat Great Britain before being eliminated in the semi-final with Sweden. In the playoff for the Bronze medal they were beaten by the USA.

Other activities

Simon has learnt about the hardships and discrimination endured by her grandparents' families, which gave her new appreciation for what her family has given her. She has said "...every time I pull on the Matildas jersey, it's for my family. As I see it, the jersey is as much theirs as mine". She tells of how her family, who could not afford the airfare, drove over from

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

Moncton Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the The Maritimes, Maritime Provinces. The ...

in Canada to see her play (and score) in the final round-of-16 game for the World Cup, taking two-and-a-half days each way. She is proud of her Aboriginal heritage, and appreciates

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

for the role it plays in helping to "change that conversation bout what it means to be Aboriginaland open people's eyes to get different perspectives". Simon was instrumental in the Matildas' decision to display the Aboriginal flag in the team photo for their first game of the Tokyo Olympics, as a uniquely Australian gesture, rather than taking the knee in solidarity with the

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police bruta ...

movement. She has joined

Football Australia Football Australia is the governing body of soccer, futsal, and beach soccer within Australia, headquartered in Sydney. Although the first governing body of the sport was founded in 1911, Football Australia in its current form was only establ ...

's inaugural

National Indigenous Advisory Group Football Australia is the governing body of soccer, futsal, and beach soccer within Australia, headquartered in Sydney. Although the first governing body of the sport was founded in 1911, Football Australia in its current form was only esta ...

to help foster engagement between the game and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

In popular culture

Television and film

In 2013, Simon was featured in an hour-long episode of ESPN's ''

Aussies Abroad Aussie is Australian slang for ''Australian'', both the adjective and the noun, and less commonly, Australia. Pronunciation In Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and Ireland, the word is pronounced , hence the alterna ...

'' entitled, ''The Matildas'', which profiled four Australian national team players (Simon,

, Samantha Kerr, and

Caitlin Foord Caitlin Jade Foord (born 11 November 1994) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a forward for FA Women's Super League club Arsenal and the Australia national team, the Matildas. She became the youngest Australian to play ...

) and their experience playing internationally. Simon was also one of the subjects, the other being

Lydia Williams Lydia Grace Yilkari Williams (born 13 May 1988) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Women's Super League club Brighton & Hove Albion and the Australia national team. Williams previously played for Melbour ...

, of a football documentary titled ''No Apologies'' by filmmaker

Ashley Morrison Ashley Malcolm Morrison is an Australian/British sports commentator, broadcaster, writer, and documentary filmmaker. Early life Born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, he grew up in Purton, near Swindon. He was educated at Stowe School, Buckingham an ...

. This documentary tells the story of the two Aboriginal female footballers and their journey to the Women's World Cup in Germany in 2011.

Magazines

In June 2011, Simon was on the cover of the ''

Australian FourFourTwo ''FourFourTwo'' is a football magazine published by Future. Issued monthly, it published its 300th edition in May 2019. It takes its name from the football formation of the same name, 4-4-2. In 2008, it was announced that ''FourFourTwo'' had e ...

'' Magazine along with fellow Matilda's

Melissa Barbieri Melissa Anne Barbieri (born 20 February 1980) is an Australian international football goalkeeper who plays for Melbourne City in the A-League Women. She earned over 86 caps with the Australia women's national soccer team and competed at four ...

Sam Kerr Samantha May Kerr (born 10 September 1993) is an Australian professional football player who plays as a forward for Chelsea in the FA Women's Super League and the Australia women's national team (the ''Matildas''), which she has captained ...

Thea Slatyer Thea Kay Slatyer (born 2 February 1983) is an Olympian, and former member of the Australia Women's National Football Team, The Matildas. She was an intimidating, no-nonsense defender similar to Manchester United's Vidic. Slatyer was a tough tack ...

and

Sarah Walsh Sarah Ann Walsh (born 11 January 1983) is a retired Australian soccer player who most recently captained Western Sydney Wanderers FC in Australia's W-League. She is a former member of the Australia women's national soccer team, the Matildas. ...

Career statistics

Kyah Simon playing against Japan WNT in 2012

International appearances

International goals

''Scores and results list Australia's goal tally first.''

Honours

Club

;

* W-League Championship:

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, 2012–13 * W-League Premiership:

, 2010–11 ; Melbourne City * W-League Championship: 2017–2018

Country

;

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

AFC Women's Asian Cup The AFC Women's Asian Cup (formerly known as the AFC Women's Championship) is a quadrennial competition in women's football for national teams which belong to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It is the oldest women's international football ...

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

* AFC Olympic Qualifying Tournament:

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

Individual

Julie Dolan Medal The Julie Dolan Medal is awarded annually to the player voted to be the best player in the highest women's soccer league in Australia. The medal has been presented for players in the W-League and previously the Women's National Soccer League (WN ...

: 2010–11 * W-League Golden Boot: 2010–11 * W-League Young Player of the Year: 2010–11

References

External links

*
Football Federation Australia player profile

Kyah Simon's first-person articles
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, Kyah 1991 births Living people Australian women's soccer players Indigenous Australian soccer players Central Coast Mariners FC (A-League Women) players 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup players 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup players Footballers at the 2016 Summer Olympics People from Blacktown, New South Wales Boston Breakers players National Women's Soccer League players Expatriate women's soccer players in the United States Sydney FC (A-League Women) players Melbourne City FC (A-League Women) players A-League Women players Western Sydney Wanderers FC (A-League Women) players Women's Premier Soccer League Elite players Australia women's international soccer players Women's association football forwards Australian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Indigenous Australian Olympians Olympic soccer players of Australia Houston Dash players Footballers at the 2020 Summer Olympics FIFA Century Club Soccer players from Sydney Sportswomen from New South Wales Australian expatriate sportspeople in England Australian expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands Expatriate women's footballers in England Expatriate women's footballers in the Netherlands Women's Super League players Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Women players PSV (women) players Australian expatriate women's soccer players