Steph Catley is a name you hear constantly; she is a UEFA Champions League Winner , Ballon D’or Nominee, Matilda’s Captain, FIFA Women’s 11’s Nominee, and seven times W-League Winner. She has performed on the world stage, at the highest of levels and broken through the glass ceiling in women’s football and inspiring people from all walks of life.
From the small suburbs of East Bentleigh, Melbourne to playing in front of sell-out crowds of over 76,000 thousand people, Catley has played all around the world, dominating women’s football and captaining many teams to victories.
To get there she had many hurdles to jump
From making her debut at Melbourne Victory at just 15 years old, to moving across the world and playing for WSL giants Arsenal, she has done it all. Catley started her football journey at the age of 5, kicking around footballs in the garden with her brothers and at every opportunity she got. She started playing in her local club team, East Bentleigh FC with her brother Daniel.
Catley remembers:
“I feel in love with the game and with the idea of making myself the best footballer that I could be.”
This mindset carried her through her early days of being a professional footballer, debuting for the Matildas in 2012 at 18 years old and then moving to the USA to play for Portland Thorns FC in 2014. During her time there she established herself as a key player, playing 14 out of 15 games and supporting the team through her dynamic left-back role. During her time in Portland, she was known for her speed, end-to-end runs, and deliveries. Her creative prowess lead to 5 assists for the NWSL team.
After finishing off the 2015 NWSL season, Catley was loaned back to where it all started, Australia. This time however she would play for her rival club, Melbourne City FC for the W-League 2015-16 season.
For many top female footballers, including Catley it was common to leverage the overlapping leagues within the NWSL and W-league going on loan allowing them to play for longer periods of time during the year. She played every minute of the 2015-16 season with Melbourne City and captained the team to the W-League Premiership and Championship titles before returning back to the states where she was traded from Portland Thorns FC to Orlando City FC.
During this time Steph Catley excelled in the NWSL starting and playing all 933 minutes for Orlando City FC and making history by scoring the club’s first-ever goal in their inaugural match. However, her season was soon to be cut short. Catley broke her foot at the 2016 Rio Olympics, ending her season with Orlando City FC.
Leaving, in another trade deal, Catley was moved across the county to Reign FC in Washington. She again dominated the backline for them playing a vital role within Reign’s defence. Catley earned a place in the NWSL team of the month alongside famously respected players such as Christine Sinclair, Kristie Mewis, Lindsey Horan (neé Heaps), Becky Sauerbrunn and Rachel Daly.
After playing 33 games for Reign FC over two seasons, she returned to Australia via a loan deal and played the 2019-2020 W-League season with Melbourne City FC. During this spell came a career highlight when Catley scored the only goal in the 15th minute of the 2019-20 Championship Final. For Catley a new challenge arrived, when she signed for Arsenal in 2020.
On her arrival, then Arsenal Women manager Joe Montemurro said:
“We’re privileged to have Steph at the club, she suits our fluidity.”
Since joining Arsenal, she has contributed massively both on and off the pitch.She has won the League Cup back-to-back in 2023 and 2024, and the UEFA Women’s Champions League in 2025. She has scored 4 times for Arsenal alongside numerous assists. Her debut season however in 2020-21 was not all smooth sailing. She had multiple hamstring and ankle issues which required surgery. This was a setback that she had to overcome.
It is well known that Catley is strong-minded and strengthens everyone in whatever environment that she is in. As she has progressed at Arsenal winning silverware and progressing in the WSL.
Catley’s international career has been equally prolific. With 141 caps, Catley is one of her country’s most capped players. Arguably the biggest achievement of her international career was starting against England in the Semi-Final of the Women’s FIFA World Cup in 2023.
She has not just inspired fans but players as well. Her Arsenal and Australia team mate Kyra Cooney-Cross said:
“I think Steph’s so underrated because she’s a fullback. But I think she’s one of the best fullbacks in the world.”
Cooney-Cross is just one player and teammate who speaks of Catley as a crucial consistency and inspiring presence within both Arsenal and the Matilda’s.
With the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup around the corner, Catley has another opportunity to build upon her already established legacy by winning her first international tournament.
