If football is considered an equal sport between male and female athletes, then Shellharbour's Caitlin Foord must be considered as one of the all-time great Australian sporting athletes.
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The forward has experienced an injury-plagued beginning of 2022, but seems to be firing at just the right time in the lead-in for the FIFA Women's World Cup - which will be held in Australia and New Zealand in July next year.
Foord performed admirably on her return to the starting team in the side's 2-1 loss to reigning gold medallists Canada in Sydney in September and played a crucial role in friendly wins over South Africa and Denmark this month. The 27-year-old netted three goals across the two fixtures.
Attending Illawarra Sports High and plying her trade for the Stingrays originally, Foord made her mark at Sydney FC.
She spent a number of seasons in sky blue, but her major club move came in 2020 when she signed for global powerhouse Arsenal in the English Women's Super League.
Internationally, Foord is one of Australia's most decorated players of all time across both genders and different codes.
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She represented the Australian U-16 and U-17 teams in her early days. Foord scored on her Matildas debut in 2011 as a 16-year-old and made her World Cup debut in Germany in the same year. She has not looked back.
A player that wears her heart on her sleeve every time she plays for the national team, she has been part of three World Cup campaigns and is most likely going to be the first name on Tony Gustavsson's teamsheet for her fourth next year.
Earlier this year she notched her 100th cap for the Matildas and is in the top 10 record appearance list.
With all of these accolades in mind, she is now a finalist in the Elite Female Athlete of the Year Award and a nominee for the Mercury People's Choice Award at the upcoming Illawarra Sports Awards held next month.
Former Sydney FC defender and Mercury columnist Jacob Timpano says Foord should be considered one of our all time greats.
"I think if we're comparing apples to apples, she's playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world with a rich history and the amount of caps she's had with the Matildas [is amazing]," he said.
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"I'm sure she's still going to have plenty more [caps]. She's definitely going to match or surpass the best we've ever had.
"There's very few players that have played at four World Cups and that is something that you would imagine she is going to do. For the Socceroos Tim Cahill and Mark Milligan comes to mind as having played at four World Cups but it is an impressive feat.
"She's still only 27 too so you can even see her going to a fifth World Cup," he said.
One of the most impressive aspects of her career is her consistency for over a decade, according to Timpano.
"She's a constant in the side and that shows her quality and professionalism and what she's thought of within the Matildas," he said.
"Despite the fact that she hasn't captained the Matildas she is a leader in the team. She's got a lot of experience and just the fact that she is that constant in the side says a lot about her as a person and a player."
The Matildas currently have a number of players doing well in Europe. Other than Foord, Sam Kerr is at Chelsea, where she finished third in the world player of the year standings just this month. Ellie Carpenter is on the mend from her ACL injury at Lyon in France, goalkeeper Lydia Williams is at PSG and Steph Catley is a teammate of Foord's at the 'Gunners'.
Categories for the Awards include the Mercury People's Choice Award, Coach of the Year, Team of the Year, Illawarra Sportsperson of the Year (Male and Female), Local Hero of the Year, Sporting Moment of the Year and IAS Junior Athlete of the Year.
The Illawarra Sports Awards, presented by the Mercury, Illawarra Academy of Sport and Illawarra Credit Union, will be held on November 10.
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Illawarra Sports Awards
The Mercury, in partnership with the Illawarra Academy Of Sport and presenting sponsor Illawarra Credit Union, is hosting the Illawarra Sports Awards, to be held on Thursday, November 10 at the Fraternity Club.
TICKETS: Purchase individual tickets or tables at https://events.humanitix.com/illawarra-sports-awards
NOMINATE: Get your nominations in for the Team Of The Year, Coach Of The Year and Local Hero Volunteer Of The Year
VOTE: Who will win the Mercury People's Choice Award? Read about their achievements HERE and vote.
Jordan Warren
Illawarra Mercury sports journalist. Feel free to get in touch jordan.warren@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
Illawarra Mercury sports journalist. Feel free to get in touch jordan.warren@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
