Ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup to be held in Australia and New Zealand, North Shore Living sat down with local football superstar and Matilda, Remy Siemsen, to chat about the beautiful game.
When this publication first met Remy Siemsen back in 2017, she was an ambitious Year 12 student at Oxford Falls Grammar cutting her chops with Sydney FC. Now, she’s an international superstar and a real contender to be named in the Matildas 2023 World Cup side.
For the 23-year-old striker, love of the world game started at the young age of four after following her brother’s footsteps to join local club the Belrose/Terrey Hills Raiders (BTH).
“Instantly, as soon as I played the game, I fell in love with it and I couldn’t see myself not playing football,” Remy says.
“My parents joke around still to this day, when I was four I said to them I wanted to play for the Socceroos. [Laughs]
“I didn’t quite understand there was a women’s national team, but that dream to play with the national team has been instilled in me since I was that young and I haven’t really swayed away from that.”
Soon, she was playing in an all-boys team with BTH on the weekends and training with the Manly United development squad during the week, before joining Manly’s Skills Acquisition Program at age 10.
For five out of her six previous seasons in the A-League, Remy has played with Sydney FC.
“On Sundays, I would play three years above in the girls teams because there wasn’t enough girls teams around my age group to play with,” she recalls.
“I loved every minute playing alongside the boys. They didn’t treat me as Remy ‘the girl’, they just treated me as Remy. So, I think that’s where a lot of my competitiveness and my physicality definitely came from.”
At 16-years-old, the rising star made her debut with Sydney FC and became a Young Matilda in the same year, scoring an incredible seven goals in her first appearance with the national side.
What followed was six seasons in the A-League Women’s (five with Sydney FC), back-to-back premiership wins and two Golden Boot awards for being the highest goal scorer in the league.
She says her biggest triumph, however, was making her debut with the Matildas in October 2021 – an honour she’s experienced six times.
“It wasn’t just a big special moment for myself, it was also for my family, who have seen me go through all the highs and lows and of the journey. To don the green and gold in Sydney at Bankwest Stadium in front of all of my friends and family, it was the most special moment of my career and my life.”
In 2022, Remy played a season overseas in Sweden with AIK Fotball
In January, Remy announced she had signed with WSL club Leicester City.
It was only a matter of time before her prowess on the field put her in the sights of international clubs, with the ‘prestigious’ AIK Fotboll signing her to play in the Damallsvenskan (Swedish all-ladies) league for the 2022 season.
The season saw her play 21 games for the club, making 20 starts and scoring three goals.
“I felt, I really grew both on and off the pitch [in Sweden]. Obviously, it wasn’t the greatest season performance-wise in the way that we were relegated, but I still learnt and grew a lot as a player and developed playing against some of the best players in the world. So, I wouldn’t have changed that experience,” she says.
“It’s pretty much a religion there, and that was very noticeable as soon as I stepped into the country. It’s totally different in the way that they live and breathe the game, and when their home team loses it’s an uproar. It’s a passion that I’ve never seen before, so it was beautiful to see that.”
While, at the time of speaking, the star striker had returned to home shores and re-signed with Sydney FC, it wasn’t long until rumours began swirling of a club-record transfer back to Europe.
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Days before print, it was confirmed the young local had hit the big leagues – signing with Leicester City for the rest of the Barclays Women’s Super League season.
It was a move she may have subtly flagged back in December, when she told North Shore Living:
“Football is a game and also your life can change in 24 hours. You never know what clubs are watching or what’s going on behind the scenes.
“I want to be in the best environment come the World Cup. I want to put myself in my best contention to be selected.”
With the goal of the green and gold firmly set, it’s clear she’s doing ‘everything she can to put her best foot forward’ ahead of the World Cup team selection.
“It’s the biggest event in football in the world, so to be able to have that right here on our doorstep, I don’t think anything gets as special as that.
“It would be the greatest achievement of my career, but also my life, and every footballer, every athlete, wants to play in the highest competition that they can. So, I will be doing everything I physically, mentally, and emotionally can to be selected.”
With players like herself, Sam Kerr and Caitlin Foord taking women’s football to the next level in Australia, tickets to the event are close to sold out. It’s indicative of a massive shift in football in this country, where female participation is skyrocketing, and women’s players have become household names.
“I think there’s a lot more kids now noticing the women’s game and women’s players,” Remy says.
“Yes, there’s a lot of little girls that look up to us, but I think it’s really special that we have a lot of little boys that also look up to us, who are coming to the games.
“Football in Australia in general, it’s growing significantly and it’s only going to get bigger and bigger. I’m just honoured to be a part of this growth, and I hope we can continue building that in years to come.”
To purchase FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 tickets, visit the FIFA website.