Australian defender, Steph Catley has signed a new contract with Arsenal.
Although the length of her contract renewal is undisclosed, Catley has scored four goals in 165 appearances across all competitions since she joined in July 2020 from Melbourne City and is excited to continue her journey.
“It feels amazing. There’s really nowhere else that I would rather be and it’s always nice to have that faith from the coach and from the club. It was an absolute no-brainer.
“It’s been a journey of many, many ups and downs. When I first came to the club, I think my first training session I got injured and then that whole season I was pretty much out, dealing with different injuries and felt very, very far away from home. Completely new team, new country, everything.
“So that was a really tough time but as you sort of settle into it and as I sort of settled into the club, I realised very quickly this was exactly where I was supposed to be and I feel myself growing as a person, as a player. The friendships that I’ve made, it’s definitely more like a family and I’ve never felt as much at home anywhere in the world other than my home that I have here.
“That is one of the big sacrifices you make as an Australian footballer when you want to play overseas – that you are really, really far away and you can’t just drop home and hop in and see your family. So making those connections and feeling in your heart that you’re happy and you’re safe and the place that you’re at does feel like home is something very, very special and I think it’s rare in football.
“I don’t think many footballers can say that a club really does feel like home but for me that is definitely the case and I feel lucky to say that and I feel lucky to have the relationships that I do and the backing of the club as well to have me here.”
Catley has helped Arsenal win two Women’s League Cup titles plus last season’s UEFA Women’s Champions League and the inaugural FIFA Women’s Champions Cup in February this year, with the 32-year-old aware of how important titles are the longer she stays at the club.
“I think the longer you’re at a club the more that those moments mean to you and I have been here a long time and those moments don’t come easy,” reflected Catley. “There’s so many good players in this league, so many incredible teams that are constantly fighting for titles and then obviously the Champions League which is just something I never even dreamed of.
“I think coming to Arsenal I knew that it was in the realm of possibility because it’s such a big club and we have so many good players but actually getting to that moment and getting over the line and being able to say we’ve won a Champions League and look around and see I’ve done that with some of my best friends in the world.
“I think it was just the most amazing feeling and it’s been a journey but getting to moments like that makes it all worth it and I’m so glad that I was able to do that with a club that’s so special to me and that just made it feel so much better.”
Catley initially joined as a left-back under Joe Montemurro but under his successors – Jonas Eidevall and Renee Slegers, she has transitioned into a centre-back role strengthening her versatility.
“I’ve loved it,” said Catley of her centre-back position. “Obviously when I joined the club I joined as a left-back but I’ve played a lot of centre-back throughout my whole career. I played there for the national team in a couple of World Cups and filled in at other clubs as well when I’ve had to.
“It’s always been a position that I’ve had in my locker but I just always saw myself as a left-back for the majority of my career.
“Having that transition and then really feeling like I was able to grow into it and I had the trust from the coaches and the players around me to build into that role the way that I was able to was amazing. I just feel like it’s a natural progression of my career and my attributes on the field, off the field.
“I feel like I’m able to lead from that position and communicate with people around me and that’s probably one of my super strengths that I’m able to bring out more in that position. It’s been a natural progression but it’s been a fun one and I’m definitely enjoying it.”
Leave a Reply