Football mirrors life

For as long as I can remember, football has been a part of my life. Being raised by an ex-Socceroo, vivid memories of football commentary echoed my childhood hallways – a wakeup call in the early hours when I would tiptoe to the living room to see my father Gerry asleep on the couch with the blaring noise from football fans cheering their teams on the television in the background. I remember the lively dinner conversations when my father’s football friends would visit, analysing the game and ‘talking tactics’.

Dad first met Leigh Wardell, a legendary football role model, when my sister trialled for North West Sydney Koalas at Ermington – at the time the only female club in NSW and within the National Premier League Women’s competition.

Like Leigh, Dad pursued coaching as a profession after retiring from playing. ‘I’d heard of the reputation and influence Leigh had on young girls and I was curious to see for myself,’ he says.

The first time I met Leigh was when Dad invited her over for afternoon tea. Dressed, as always, in jeans, sneakers and a polo top, she had a reserved energy that masked her stamina. When I decided to interview Leigh, my only worry was doing justice to her story. I wanted to allow her active legacy to speak for itself in the way she coaches and mentors’ young girls and women.

Recruited at age 13 as one of the inaugural players for the newly formed national women’s team, the Matildas, Leigh was a dominant force on the field, representing Australia from 1978–88.

Connections made during her player days paved the way for the start of her coaching career. A key moment was when she received a call from a technical director she’d known as a kid offering her an opportunity to establish a development program for girls across NSW. With no coaching experience and just one coaching course under her belt, Leigh worked for the next few years learning and building her coaching repertoire. From an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship to assistant coach of the Matildas and a coaching role with National Premier League club Marconi, Leigh embraced each new challenge.

In the early 2000s, when approached by the directors at North West Koalas about coaching the first-grade women’s team, Leigh told them she wanted something different. ‘I want his job’, she said pointing to the club’s technical director. Determined, she got it.

Dad and Leigh once spent a year as co-coaches of a junior NSW Premier League team that included my sister. ‘Two brains are better than one … You can do experiments without the players knowing when there are two of you.’, Leigh chuckles when he reminds her of the experience.

I know my father values Leigh’s passion for football and her knowledge. I’ve seen the way he is always keen to debrief and analyse a football game with her and share tactics.

‘She uses the four Ws – who, what, when and why ‒ to allow players to analyse their decisions. I’ve learnt a lot from the way Leigh analyses the game, her coaching experience, and the way she implements practical solutions into training,’ he explains. ‘She has taught me the three speeds of the game – speed of the ball, speed of the player and speed of the brain.’

Leigh’s ability to be patient is fundamental for any developmental coach and has allowed her to succeed.

‘It’s funny people assume that because I played for the Matildas that my proudest moment is going to be my first [representative] game played,’ Leigh says. ‘The proudest moments have been as a coach, [because] you’re an influencer. If you can influence someone in a positive way, that is for me a really good thing.’

She recalls one such experience working as a coach with the ‘problematic’ child in the squad.

‘A few face-to-face, eyeball-to-eyeball confrontational conversations made an impact that I wasn’t aware of until I received a phone call from this 16 year old’s dad. He rang me asking if I had time for chat and I was thinking to myself, “What has she done now?” He was like, “Nothing bad; we have a gift for you to say thank you”. I still did not understand what was happening. He then informs me they visited some family and all their relatives couldn’t believe how well behaved she was. Her parents hadn’t been called to the school in the last few months, and they used to go regularly to the principal’s office. She is now doing homework and is even receiving an award. The kid had figured out that she actually enjoys playing football and can be successful at it. She realised that if she continues to behave the way she was, she will jeopardise that. It was the environment we created which allowed her and other players to still be themselves within the parameters. She finished her HSC, got herself a football scholarship in the USA, completed a tertiary education and played for the National Women’s League.

‘You can win trophies which end up being dust collectors – don’t get me wrong the trophies can be exciting – or you can influence in a positive way, which are my best moments.’

Dad nods agreeingly, ‘It’s helping young people, passing on the knowledge to help them become better footballers and people in the community.’ But he admits his proudest moments also include representing Australia.

One of the mantras Leigh lives by is ‘football replicates life’ —meaning you learn life lessons on the field. Now leading the mentoring program at Spirit FC, Leigh is keen to share her technical knowledge and expertise with elite players who have been identified to go the next level via engagement in talented athlete programs. ‘I want to be a resource … and support these players to achieve what they want to achieve.’

At Spirit FC there is a lot of emphasis on family. ‘Family isn’t necessarily who you are related to, but how you function,’ Leigh says. ‘You don’t always like your colleagues, siblings or parents, but you need to put your differences aside and work together. Like in life, there are objectives or goals, and each individual has a part to play – both on and off the field. Sometimes in life you have disappointment and sometimes in football you experience disappointment. It’s about how you handle it, your resilience.’

Dad nods quietly as he twirls spaghetti marinara onto his fork. ‘Football brings the best and worst out of people,’ he says. ‘You can also implement your own values.’

This can be seen whether you’re watching the Koalas play at the local field in Ermington or the Matildas take on an international side at Commbank Stadium.

‘If you are an honest person and the ball goes out and it’s the other team’s throw in, you don’t say it’s your ball. Same when you go for tackle — you go in fair,’ he says. ‘You show your values in the game, your persistence and spirit — are you going to keep going or give up, regardless of the score? Football is about being able to come together no matter the challenges you face.’

Like life itself, a lot happens in a game. ‘Regardless of the sport you play, it’s a microcosm for life,’ Leigh agrees looking back at my father.

A passionate Parramatta resident, Leigh recognises how sporting values are ingrained in the community. As the city grows, sporting spirit is something people can ‘attach to and support’.

She appreciates living in walking distance of Commbank Stadium, home ground to Parramatta’s own football team (Parramatta City FC) and Rugby League team (Parramatta Eels).

‘There’s a friendly atmosphere when fans dressed in black and red or yellow and blue cover the streets in support of their teams,’ she says. ‘It is part of being a diverse community and it doesn’t have to be related to sport. Take a look at Riverside Theatre or the restaurants at the new plaza.’

Football has taught Leigh and Dad to be the best version of themselves, through listening and learning from others. Both strive in their work coaching girls and women to impart crucial lessons to live by, with a focus on helping players develop their potential by listening and learning from others despite their differences and to be patient with the game – and life itself.

Jade Gomez is completing a Master of Literature and Creative Writing at Western Sydney University. A senior social worker with NSW Health, Gomez has worked in the field of complex case management and neurology for 8 years. She holds a double Bachelor of Social Work and Arts from the University of New South Wales and Master of International Public Health from the University of Sydney.

Parramatta Profiles is a writing and photographic series that profiles individuals across Parramatta communities. Drawing on art, music, religion, activism and sport, each snapshot captures life in this dynamic city. A collaboration between Powerhouse and the Writing and Society Research Centre, Western Sydney University, this project supports the development of student writers by providing an opportunity to work with professional editors and be published by Powerhouse online.