Central Coast Mariners recruit Kyah Simon has revealed just how much she leaned on her English footballer girlfriend Faye Bryson following her devastating ACL injury when playing for Tottenham last October.
Simon, who has 111 international caps for the Matildas dating back to 2007, was a key figure at the launch of the A-League Women’s (ALW) competition this week in Sydney.
But the striker – who was a breakout star at two World Cups for Australia – admitted she had some dark days after her knee injury.
The 32-year-old couldn’t thank Bryson, who will also play for the Mariners this season, enough.
‘I was in agony post surgery for three to four months, plus on painkillers for two months,’ she said.
‘Faye was enormous, she was playing for Reading at the time, and whenever she was at home, she did everything for me.
Central Coast Mariners recruit Kyah Simon has revealed just how much she leaned on her girlfriend Faye Bryson following her devastating ACL injury when playing for Tottenham
Simon and Bryson (pictured on Hamilton Island in September) will look to light up the ALW competition when they team up for the Mariners
The pair will be key figures for the Mariners, who are back in the ALW after a 14-year absence
‘If she wasn’t there, I would have left the UK and come back to Australia….she was my rock.’
Simon also predicted her partner will light up the ALW competition.
‘She’s a wingback and has an engine…. she can run for days,’ she said.
‘Faye is a little Energizer bunny on the pitch, it will be good fun to be on the same team.’
Simon also revealed just how much women’s football has changed in Australia since her W-League debut as a teenager on the NSW central coast.
‘I feel like I have gone full circle, it was very different back in 2008,’ she recalled.
‘We didn’t get paid for starters, it was semi-professional. Everyone in the team was working, I was at Rebel in Rouse Hill (in Sydney’s north-west) so I was commuting back and forth.
‘We were also told back then we were playing [purely] for the love of the game.’
The striker’s life was turned upside down last October when she did her ACL when playing for Tottenham in the Women’s Super League
While she didn’t play in the World Cup due to injury, Kyah Simon was a popular figure in the Matildas squad (pictured right with Sam Kerr following the semi-final defeat against England)
Central Coast – back in the fold after going under in 2009 due to financial difficulties – will officially kick-off the ALW 2023/24 campaign when they host the Newcastle Jets on October 14 from 5pm.
Emily Husband will coach the Mariners, who have also signed Indigenous striker Shadeene Evans and American forward Rola Badawiya as they look to hit the ground running.
Simon isn’t the only big name to stay on local shores post the World Cup – classy midfielder Tameka Yallop has inked a deal with Brisbane Roar and veteran goalkeeper Lydia Williams will call Melbourne Victory home.
Cortnee Vine – the hero for the Matildas in the penalty shoot-out win against France – has rejected interest abroad to be Sydney FC’s marquee signing.
‘It’s great to see some of the Matildas [girls] back playing locally,’ Simon said.
‘It is a great opportunity for football to capitalise on after so many people tuned into the Women’s World Cup.
‘As players, we hope to continue that momentum with packed stadiums the next few months…. starting with Gosford this weekend.
‘It is a region who love the game, they are football mad.’
