Friend taking on Megan Rapinoe | TWG Friend taking on Megan Rapinoe | TWG

As a child I always dreamt to be a professional footballer when I grew up and unlike some others I have stuck to my childhood ambitions.

When I was at the early age of seven I played for my first football club; Clifton Hill United. I was the only girl in a boy’s team and loved it; the attention that it brought me and the satisfaction of surprising the male opposition every time I played.

After playing at Clifton Hill for five years I moved to a girl’s team called Brunswick Zebras. It was playing for the Zebras where I was spotted by a Victorian state coach and by then I was well on the way in my journey of becoming a future Under 20 Young Matilda.

As a young girl my dream was to represent my country and luckily for me I have been granted the opportunity to play in the Under 17 and Under 20s AFC Women’s Championships representing Australia.

I have always been loyal and adoring of my country but even more so towards Victoria, my home state. As a teenager competing every year in the Australian National Championships you learn to gain an overwhelming passion for your home town, so with my passion for Victoria I was ecstatic when I was told that I was to be part of the Melbourne Victory Women squad in 2010 under Head Coach Vicki Linton.

Playing for Melbourne Victory Women has taught me an incredible amount and has given me the opportunity to play with and against some of the best players in the country. I am so honoured to be a part of the Westfield W-League; a national competition which has given women the opportunity to show their skills and passion for the game on a weekly basis.

I am very excited for the year ahead and believe our Melbourne Victory squad has every chance in the world to take out this season’s title. With the combination of our internationals, local stand outs, coaching staff and our positive, determined attitudes we can achieve anything.

If you enjoyed Caitlin’s article, click here to see all other Melbourne Victory Women player blogs