London, April 28 (IANS) West London club Arsenal has announced the contract renewal for Australian women’s football great Steph Katley, who has been an integral part of the club’s back line for the past six years.
Katley joined the English club in July 2020, coming from Melbourne City. She has played 165 matches for the Gunners, scoring four goals while also playing a crucial role in the team’s defence over the years.
The 32-year-old defender has won two League Cup titles, the UEFA Women’s Champions League, and the FIFA Champions Cup during her time at Arsenal. Steph played a key role in that historic European triumph last season, starting all five of our knock-out matches in the competition and helping us to keep a clean sheet as we defeated Barcelona in the final.
Steph’s outstanding 2024/25 campaign earned her a Ballon d’Or nomination in 2025, while the Australian also won her home country’s PFA Women’s Footballer of the Year award in 2025, 2024, and 2020.
After signing the deal, she said, “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.
“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,” she added.
Born in Melbourne, Steph has been a senior Australian player for 14 years, having made her senior debut for the Matildas aged 18, in June 2012. She’s since gone on to represent her country 146 times, scoring seven goals.
–IANS
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