Stephanie-Elise Catley (born 26 January 1994) 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
defender for
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
and the
Australia national team.
She can play in many positions in defence, such as
left-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
,
centre-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
or
sweeper.
She previously played for
Reign FC
OL Reign is an American professional women's soccer team based in Seattle, Washington. Founded by Bill and Teresa Predmore in 2012 as Seattle Reign FC, it was one of eight inaugural members of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). In 2020, ...
,
Orlando Pride
The Orlando Pride is a professional women's soccer team based in Orlando, Florida. The team joined the National Women's Soccer League, the top level of women's soccer in the US, for the 2016 season. It became the tenth team to be added to the l ...
and
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 ...
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) as well as
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 ...
and
Melbourne City in the Australian
W-League.
Catley was named
PFA Women's Player of the Year in 2020. She was awarded the W-League's Young Player of the Year for the 2012–13 season and the Female U20 Footballer of the Year by
Football Federation 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 esta ...
in 2012 and 2013.
Early life
Born and raised in Melbourne by her parents Lesley and Stephen, Catley joined her first soccer team at age six. She was the only girl in the East Bentleigh FC squad, the same team her older brother Daniel had played on.
She noted, "I fell in love with the game and with the idea of making myself the best footballer that I could be. I trained by myself, with my brother and with the other boys in the team until I made my first representative team."
At age 13, she started playing for Sandringham, one of the largest soccer clubs in Victoria.
When she was 15, Catley made her first state team and was chosen for the
under-17 national team.
Club career
Melbourne Victory, 2009–14
![Stephanie Catley of Melbourne Victory Women](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Stephanie_Catley_of_Melbourne_Victory_Women.jpg)
A talented youngster who played for the South East Cougars in
Football Federation Victoria
Football Victoria is the state governing body for soccer in Victoria, Australia. It is affiliated with Football Australia, the sport's national governing body.
History
Football Victoria began operation in 1884 under the name Anglo Australian ...
's Victorian Champions League program, Catley made her senior debut with
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 ...
at a young age, playing against Perth Glory at only fifteen years of age in October 2009. Originally used as a midfielder, Catley was a key figure at her club and scored her first goal in her second season three days before her birthday in January 2011, again against Perth Glory. Following a switch to defence for the 2011/12 season, Catley had her most impressive season to date and was named Female Footballer of the Year. She later became captain of the Victory, making 51 appearances, scoring 7 goals in her first 5 years playing for the club.
Portland Thorns FC, 2014–15
Catley signed with
Portland Thorns
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 Unit ...
in the United States'
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) for the
2014 season. Catley made 14 starts in 15 matches as a defender during the
2014 season.
Portland finished in third place with a record. The third-place finish earned the team a berth to the semi-finals where the Thorns were defeated 2–0 by eventual champions
FC Kansas City
FC Kansas City was an American professional women's soccer club based in Kansas City, Missouri. The team was one of the eight founding clubs of the National Women's Soccer League in 2012, and began play in 2013. They were two-time NWSL champions ...
. Catley was named to the league's
Second XI Team at the end of the season for her five assists.
During the
2015 season, Catley played in three games for the Thorns as much of her time was usurped by 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 ...
.
Portland finished in sixth place with a record.
Melbourne Victory (loan), 2014–15
During the NWSL offseason, Catley signed a loan agreement to return to her original club, the Melbourne Victory, for the
2014 W-League season. She was captain and a starting defender in all 13 games she played helping Victory finish in second place during the regular season with a record. Catley scored a goal against Canberra on 28 September lifting Melbourne Victory to a 4–2 win. She scored her second goal of the season during a 3–0 win over Western Sydney Wanderers on 9 November. After advancing to the semifinals, Melbourne Victory was defeated by eventual champions, Canberra United, in a penalty kick shootout.
Melbourne City (loan), 2015–16
On 17 September 2015, newly created
Melbourne City announced they had signed Catley on a loan agreement for the
2015–16 W-League season.
Catley was a starting defender in all 13 matches she played.
Melbourne City finished in first place during their inaugural season with an undefeated record. During the semifinal match on 25 January 2016, Catley scored the fourth penalty for Melbourne City in a penalty shootout win against the
Brisbane Roar
Brisbane Roar Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Brisbane, Queensland and has won the domestic title on three occasions, as well as holding the longest unbeaten record of 36 league matches without defeat.
Brisba ...
earning a berth to the
2016 W-League Grand Final. Melbourne City won the Grand Final 4–1 against Sydney FC.
Orlando Pride, 2016–17
On 10 December 2015, Portland Thorns announced they had traded Catley to expansion team
Orlando Pride
The Orlando Pride is a professional women's soccer team based in Orlando, Florida. The team joined the National Women's Soccer League, the top level of women's soccer in the US, for the 2016 season. It became the tenth team to be added to the l ...
in exchange for goalkeeper
Adrianna Franch
Adrianna Nichole Franch (born November 12, 1990) is an American soccer goalkeeper who currently plays for Kansas City in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She is a member of the United States women's national soccer team.
Early life
A ...
and a 3rd round pick (#21) in the
2016 NWSL College Draft
Sixteen or 16 may refer to:
*16 (number), the natural number following 15 and preceding 17
*one of the years 16 BC, AD 16, 1916, 2016
Films
* '' Pathinaaru'' or ''Sixteen'', a 2010 Tamil film
* ''Sixteen'' (1943 film), a 1943 Argentine film di ...
, which was used to select
Arizona State Sun Devils
The Arizona State Sun Devils are the athletic teams that represent Arizona State University. ASU has nine men's and eleven women's varsity teams competing at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member o ...
defender
McKenzie Berryhill. Catley scored Orlando's first-ever goal in the NWSL on 21 April 2016, which was subsequently voted by fans as the NWSL Goal of the Week. She was a starting defender in all eleven games that she played.
The Pride finished their
inaugural season in ninth place with a record.
![StephCatley](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/StephCatley.jpg)
Catley returned to the Pride for the
2017 season. She was a starting defender in all 24 games recording 2,120 minutes on the pitch. During a match against Houston Dash, Catley's last-minute goal-line clearance was voted
NWSL Save of the Week
The National Women's Soccer League Save of the Week is a weekly soccer award given to individual players in the National Women's Soccer League since 2016. The honor is awarded by popular social media vote to the player deemed to have scored the be ...
for Week 10. Orlando climbed the league ladder to a third-place finish during the regular season earning a berth to their first
NWSL Playoffs
The National Women's Soccer League Playoffs (or NWSL Playoffs) are a single elimination tournament among six teams in the National Women's Soccer League of the United States, deciding the winner of the NWSL Championship.
Since playoff games cann ...
.
Orlando was defeated by the Portland Thorns 4–1 in the semi-final. Catley was named to the
NWSL Second XI Team after the season.
Melbourne City (loan), 2016–18
Catley signed two other loan agreements with Melbourne City for the
2016–17 W-League
The 2016–17 W-League season was the ninth season of the W-League, the Australian national women's association football competition.
Clubs
Stadia and locations
Personnel and kits
Transfers
Foreign players
The following do not fill ...
and
2017–18 W-League
The 2017–18 W-League season was the tenth season of the W-League, the Australian national women's association football competition.
Clubs
Stadia and locations
Personnel and kits
Managerial changes
Transfers
Foreign players
The ...
seasons. Upon returning to Australia, Catley was named captain of the reigning league champions, Melbourne City. City went on to be Grand Final Champions in both these campaigns.
During the
2016–17 season, Catley captained the team as the starting left-back defender in all 14 games of the regular season.
She scored a goal in the 74th minute of a 3–0 win over Melbourne Victory on 27 November 2016. Melbourne City finished in fourth place during the regular season with a record and earned a berth to the Final Stages. After defeating Canberra United 1–0 in extra time during the semi-final with Catley playing every minute, Melbourne City advanced to the
2017 W-League Grand Final where they faced Perth Glory and won the Championship 2–0 for the second consecutive time — a first for any club in the league. Catley was named to the
2016/17 W-League Team of the Season by
Professional Footballers Australia
The Professional Footballers Australia (PFA), formerly the Australian Soccer Players' Association, is an Australian trade union affiliated with the Australian Council of Trade Unions that represents professional male, female and elite junior so ...
(PFA).
2017–18 season, Catley was the starting left-back for all 14 matches.
Melbourne City finished in fourth place during the regular season with a record mirroring their previous season. Catley celebrated her 100th W-League appearance with a 1–0 shutout against Western Sydney Wanderers in January. She also assisted on
Jess Fishlock
Jessica Anne Fishlock (born 14 January 1987) is a Welsh professional footballer and coach who plays as a midfielder for OL Reign and the Wales national team. She previously played for Bristol Academy in England's FA Women's Super League (FA ...
's game-winning goal during the match. Catley led the defense to shut out Brisbane Roar in a 2–0 semi-final win. Advancing to the
2018 W-League Grand Final
The 2018 W-League grand final was the final match of the 2017–18 W-League season and deciding the champions of women's football in Australia for the season.
The match took place at Allianz Stadium in Sydney, Australia on 18 February 2018 an ...
, Catley was described by
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
as one of Australia's best defenders along with teammate
Alanna Kennedy
Alanna Stephanie Kennedy (born 21 January 1995) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Manchester City in the English FA Women's Super League, as well as the Australia national team. Kennedy is recognized as ...
. Catley captained the squad to a 2–0 shutout against league premiers, Sydney FC, entering the record books as the only W-League team to win three consecutive Grand Final championships. Catley was named to the
2017–18 W-League Team of the Season by the PFA.
Reign FC, 2018–19
Prior to the
2018 NWSL season
The 2018 National Women's Soccer League season was the sixth season of the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States. Including the NWSL's two professional predecessors, Women's Professional Soccer (200 ...
, Catley was traded to
Reign FC
OL Reign is an American professional women's soccer team based in Seattle, Washington. Founded by Bill and Teresa Predmore in 2012 as Seattle Reign FC, it was one of eight inaugural members of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). In 2020, ...
in exchange for
Christine Nairn
Christine Marie Nairn (born September 25, 1990) is an American retired soccer player from Annapolis, Maryland. She previously played for the Houston Dash, Orlando Pride, Washington Spirit and Seattle Reign FC in the NWSL and has had regular lo ...
and
Carson Pickett
Carson Leighann Pickett (born September 15, 1993) is an American soccer player who plays as a defender for Racing Louisville FC of the NWSL and the United States national team.
Early life
Raised in Fleming Island on the northeastern coast ...
. During the 2018 season, Catley was a starting defender in the 17 matches in which she played.
The Reign finished the regular season in third place with a record earning a berth to the
NWSL Playoffs
The National Women's Soccer League Playoffs (or NWSL Playoffs) are a single elimination tournament among six teams in the National Women's Soccer League of the United States, deciding the winner of the NWSL Championship.
Since playoff games cann ...
. Catley played every minute of the team's 2–1 loss to Portland in the semi-finals.
Following her first season with the Reign, Catley underwent knee surgery after she was injured in a friendly international match in February 2019. Despite missing the beginning of the
2019 NWSL season
The 2019 National Women's Soccer League season was the seventh season of the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States. Including the NWSL's two professional predecessors, Women's Professional Soccer ...
and competing at the
2019 FIFA Women's World Cup
The 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup was the eighth edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup, the quadrennial international Women's association football championship contested by 24 women's national teams representing member associations of FIFA. It ...
in France, Catley made 16 appearances for the Reign securing a fourth-place finish during the regular season. After advancing to the
NWSL Playoffs
The National Women's Soccer League Playoffs (or NWSL Playoffs) are a single elimination tournament among six teams in the National Women's Soccer League of the United States, deciding the winner of the NWSL Championship.
Since playoff games cann ...
, the Reign were defeated by reigning champions North Carolina Courage 4–1.
In May 2020, Catley announced her departure from the Reign. She added, "As an athlete you're always trying to push yourself to be better. I've been in the NWSL for the past 7 years and the league had made me the player I am today. However, I believe now is the right time to move onto the next chapter and challenge myself in a different environment. No matter where I am or who I'm playing for, I will always be OL Reign's biggest supporter."
Melbourne City (loan), 2018–20
After undergoing minor knee surgery in October 2018 to fix a lingering issue, Catley returned to Australia and played for Melbourne City in the
2018–19 W-League
The 2018–19 W-League season was the eleventh season of the W-League, the Australian national women's association football competition.
Clubs
Stadia and locations
Personnel and kits
Managerial changes
Transfers
Foreign players
Th ...
season. She made seven appearances and scored one goal.
Melbourne City dropped for the first time to a fifth-place finish during the regular season. Catley was named to the
2018–19 W-League Team of the Season by the PFA for the third consecutive time.
Catley returned to Melbourne City for the
2019–20 season and started in every match.
Melbourne City won the premiership after finishing first in the regular season with an undefeated record. During the
2020 W-League Grand Final, Catley scored the game-winning goal against Sydney FC in the team's 1–0 win. The win marked the fourth championship in five years for the club and Catley was named Player of the Match. Following the season, Catley was named to the
2019–20 W-League Team of the Season by the PFA for the fourth consecutive time.
She was also named
PFA Women's Footballer of the Year.
Arsenal, 2020–
In July 2020, Catley signed with
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
for the
2020–21 FA WSL
The 2020–21 FA WSL season (also known as the Barclays FA Women's Super League for sponsorship reasons) was the tenth edition of the FA Women's Super League (WSL) since it was formed in 2010. It was the third season after the rebranding of the f ...
season. Arsenal manager,
Joe Montemurro
Joseph Adrian Montemurro (born 13 September 1969) is an Australian soccer coach and former player who is the head coach of Italian club Juventus Women.
Montemurro played as a midfielder during his short playing career, mainly in Italy, befo ...
said of the signing, "She suits our fluidity and she's very good in a positional sense, but more importantly she's very effective going forward, so we're excited to have her as part of the squad and we're looking forward to some exciting times together." She made her debut for the club during the club's 6–1 over
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club ( ) is a professional Association football, football club based in Reading, Berkshire, England. The team play in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is manag ...
on 6 September. In May 2022, Catley signed a new contract with the club.
International career
![Steph Catley playing against USWNT 2012](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Steph_Catley_playing_against_USWNT_2012.jpg)
Having spent years playing in the youth teams of Australia, Catley made her international senior debut against
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
in June 2012, along with her childhood friend
Ashley Brown
Ashley Brown (born February 3, 1982) is an American singer and actress who is best known for playing the titular character in the United States national tour and Broadway productions of ''Mary Poppins''.
Early life
Brown was born February 3, 198 ...
. Catley made 32 appearances for the ''Matildas'' leading into her first World Cup campaign.
In the summer of 2015 at age 21, Catley competed with the Matildas at 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 ...
in Canada.
During the tournament, Catley played every minute of all five of Australia's matches in the left back position, tallying a total of 450 minutes. She made eight tackles and won them all. Catley also made 12 interceptions and won 13 duels. Her passing accuracy was measured at 72.4%.
The Matildas lost 3–1 to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
during their first group stage match. Catley helped hold
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
to a 2–0 shutout in the team's second group stage match and a 1–1 draw against Sweden. Australia finished second in the "
Group of Death
A group of death in a multi-stage tournament is a group which is unusually competitive, because the number of strong competitors in the group is greater than the number of qualifying places available for the next phase of the tournament. Thus, in ...
" and advanced to the Round of 16 where they faced Brazil and won 1–0 as the underdog team. The Matildas faced 2011 champions,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
in the quarterfinals and narrowly lost 1–0 after Japan scored a last–minute goal in the 87th minute.
After qualifying for the
2016 Rio Olympics
)
, nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams)
, athletes = 11,238
, events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines)
, opening = 5 August 2016
, closing = 21 August 2016
, opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer
, cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro de ...
in Japan, the Matildas faced Canada in their first group stage match and lost 2–0 with Catley subbing in for
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 si ...
at halftime. The team tied their next group stage match against
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
2–2. After defeating
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
6–1, the team finished third in
Group F Group F may refer to:
* A set of international motor racing regulations used in touring car racing
* One of six or eight groups of four teams competing at the FIFA World Cup
** 2022 FIFA World Cup Group F
** 2018 FIFA World Cup Group F
** 2014 FIF ...
and top ranking in the third place teams advancing to the knockout stage. During their "thrilling" quarterfinal match against Brazil, the defense kept Brazil to a 0–0 draw, but the Matildas were ultimately edged out 7–6 during the shootout and knocked out of the competition. Catley competed in all four games for the Matildas making three starts.
![Australie Team (Women World Cup France 2019)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Australie_Team_%28Women_World_Cup_France_2019%29.jpg)
Catley competed at the
2017 Algarve Cup
The 2017 Algarve Cup was the 24th edition of the Algarve Cup, an invitational women's football tournament held annually in Portugal. It took place from 1 to 8 March.
Format
The twelve invited teams were split into three groups that played a rou ...
and
2017 Tournament of Nations
The 2017 Tournament of Nations was the inaugural Tournament of Nations, an international women's football tournament, consisting of a series of friendly games. It was held in the United States, from July 27 to August 3, 2017, and featured four t ...
. In 2018, Catley she helped the Matildas to a fourth-place finish at the
2018 Algarve Cup
The 2018 Algarve Cup was the 25th edition of the Algarve Cup, an invitational women's football tournament held annually in Portugal. It took place from 28 February to 7 March 2018.
The final was cancelled after torrential rain flooded the pitch: ...
, a second place win at the
2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup
The 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup was the 19th edition of the AFC Women's Asian Cup, the quadrennial international football tournament in Asia competed by the women's national teams in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was originally schedul ...
and
2019 Algarve Cup
The 2019 Algarve Cup was the 26th edition of the Algarve Cup, an invitational women's football tournament held annually in Portugal. It took place from 27 February to 6 March.
Norway defeated Poland 3–0 in the final to win their fifth title, a ...
and their first place win at the
2017 Tournament of Nations
The 2017 Tournament of Nations was the inaugural Tournament of Nations, an international women's football tournament, consisting of a series of friendly games. It was held in the United States, from July 27 to August 3, 2017, and featured four t ...
.
On 14 May 2019, Catley was named vice-captain for the Matildas squad for the
2019 FIFA Women's World Cup
The 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup was the eighth edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup, the quadrennial international Women's association football championship contested by 24 women's national teams representing member associations of FIFA. It ...
in France. Catley played as a centre defender during the tournament — her second World Cup selection —covering for injured players
Clare Polkinghorne
Clare Elizabeth Polkinghorne (born 1 February 1989) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Swedish Damallsvenskan club Vittsjö GIK and the Australia women's national team.
Career
For the 2014 season, Polking ...
and
Laura Alleway
Laura Colleen Gloria Brock (; born 28 November 1989) is an Australian soccer player who plays for EA Guingamp in the Division 1 Féminine. She made her debut for the national team in 2010.
Club career
Melbourne Victory, 2008–2010
Allewa ...
.
During the team's first group stage match against
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, a late Italian goal in the fifth minute of extratime resulted in a 2–1 surprising loss for the Matildas. They faced rivals Brazil next and won 3–2. Catley broke her hand during Australia's 4–1 over
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
, though continued to play through the tournament.
Australia finished second in
Group C
Group C was a category of sports car racing introduced by the FIA in 1982 and continuing until 1993, with ''Group A'' for touring cars and ''Group B'' for GTs.
It was designed to replace both Group 5 special production cars (closed top touri ...
and advanced to the Round of 16 where they faced Norway. After a 1–1 tie, Norway won 4–1 in penalties and the Matildas were knocked out of the tournament. On the loss, Catley said, "This team had high expectations and goals coming into this tournament. To go out this way, it was pretty rough, and I haven't really wrapped my head around it. It doesn't really feel like we're out. (But) it's a very strong group and as you can see in the way that we play, we never doubt what we can do or think that we can win, so taking that, being more clinical and doing all the little things right, we're going to be fine."
Catley was selected for the Australian
women's football Matildas
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) si ...
soccer team which qualified for the
Tokyo 2020 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 ...
. The Matildas advanced to the quarter-finals with one victory and a draw in the group play. In the quarter-finals they beat
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
4–3 after extra time. However, they lost 1–0 to
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
in the semi-final and were then beaten 4–3 in the bronze medal playoff by USA. On 30 January 2022, she played her 100th match for Australia in a 1–0 defeat against
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
in the
2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup
The 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup was the 20th edition of the AFC Women's Asian Cup, the quadrennial international women's football tournament in Asia competed by the national teams in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
India was selected a ...
quarter-finals.
In popular media
Catley appeared on the cover of the Australian edition of ''
FIFA 16
''FIFA 16'' is a football simulation video game developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports label. It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Android and iOS.
The gam ...
'', alongside global cover-star
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the ...
, as well as compatriot
Tim Cahill
Timothy Filiga Cahill (; born 6 December 1979) is an Australian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder but also played as a striker on many occasions. A box-to-box midfielder, Cahill became recognised for "his ag ...
, making her one of the first women to feature on the cover of an EA Sports video game.
She has been featured in each annual edition of the game along with her national teammates since. In 2016, she was the Guest Quiz Master on the fifth episode of the fourth season of the Australian game show, ''
Have You Been Paying Attention?
''Have You Been Paying Attention?'' (abbreviated on social media as HYBPA? and stylised on-screen as Have you been paying attention? in sentence case) is an Australian panel game television quiz show on Network 10. The series, which is produced ...
''.
Career statistics
Club
International
''Scores and results list Australia's goal tally first.''
Honours
![Steph Catley in action at 2017 Algarve Cup](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Steph_Catley_in_action_at_2017_Algarve_Cup.jpeg)
Melbourne Victory
*
W-League Championship:
2013–14
Melbourne City FC
* W-League Premiership:
2015–16 2019–2020
* W-League Championship:
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 ...
,
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
,
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
Australia
*
AFF U-16 Women's 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 ...
*
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 ...
,
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
*
FFA Cup of Nations
The Cup of Nations is an invitational women's soccer tournament held early in the year in Australia. In the first edition (in 2019), it was contested by Australia, Argentina, South Korea, and New Zealand.
On 12 January 2023, Football Australia ...
:
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
*
Tournament of Nations
The Tournament of Nations was a global invitational tournament for national teams in women's soccer in non-World Cup and non-Olympic years hosted by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) in several American cities. The inaugural tournament ...
:
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
Individual
*
W-League Young Player of the Year:
2012–13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
*
FFA Female U20 Footballer of the Year: 2012, 2013
*
W-League Team of the Season:
2016–17,
2017–18,
2018–19,
2019–20
*
PFA Women's Player of the Year: 2020
*
NWSL Second XI: 2014, 2017, 2018
*
IFFHS AFC Woman Team of the Decade 2011–2020
See also
*
List of Australia women's international soccer players
The Australia women's national soccer team represents Australia in international association football. It is fielded by Football Australia, the governing body of soccer in Australia, and competes as a member of the Asian Football Confederation ...
*
List of OL Reign players
OL Reign
OL Reign is an American professional women's soccer team based in Seattle, Washington. Founded by Bill and Teresa Predmore in 2012 as Seattle Reign FC, it was one of eight inaugural members of the National Women's Soccer League (NWS ...
*
List of Melbourne City FC (W-League) records and statistics
Melbourne City FC (A-League Women), Melbourne City Football Club (A-League Women) is an Australian professional women's association football club based in Cranbourne East, Victoria, Cranbourne East, Melbourne. The club was formed in 2015 joi ...
*
List of foreign FA Women's Super League players
The Women's Super League (WSL) is the highest league of women's football in England. The league, which started in 2011, was divided in two separate divisions (WSL 1 and WSL 2) from 2014 with the latter rebranded as the FA Women's Championship fol ...
References
Further reading
* Grainey, Timothy (2012), ''Beyond Bend It Like Beckham: The Global Phenomenon of Women's Soccer'', University of Nebraska Press,
* Stay, Shane (2019), ''The Women's World Cup 2019 Book: Everything You Need to Know About the Soccer World Cup'', Books on Demand,
* Theivam, Keiran and Jeff Kassouf (2019), ''The Making of the Women's World Cup: Defining stories from a sport's coming of age'', Little,
* Various (2019), ''Stand Up for the Future'', Penguin Random House,
* Williams, Jean (2007), ''A Beautiful Game: International Perspectives on Women's Football'' , A&C Black,
External links
*
Matildas player profileArsenal player profileMelbourne City player profile*
Portland Thorns player profile*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Catley, Steph
Australian women's soccer players
Living people
Melbourne City FC (A-League Women) players
Melbourne Victory FC (A-League Women) players
Portland Thorns FC players
1994 births
Soccer players from Melbourne
Australia women's international soccer players
2015 FIFA Women's World Cup players
Footballers at the 2016 Summer Olympics
National Women's Soccer League players
A-League Women players
Expatriate women's soccer players in the United States
Women's association football defenders
Orlando Pride players
Australian expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Australian expatriate sportspeople in England
Olympic soccer players of Australia
OL Reign players
2019 FIFA Women's World Cup players
Footballers at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Arsenal W.F.C. players
FIFA Century Club
Expatriate women's footballers in England
Australian expatriate women's soccer players