The biggest year of Caitlin Foord’s life is here, and it’s not exactly starting small. On Sunday night (AEDT), she’ll spearhead Arsenal’s attack against Sam Kerr’s Chelsea, in a match that could decide who wins the FA Women’s Super League title.
The Gunners are second on the table – three points behind Chelsea, who have played one more game. It’s at the Emirates Stadium, and more than 40,000 tickets have already been sold for their first clash since the competition’s brief winter break; a little taste of what’s still to come in 2023.
Sam Kerr and Caitlin Foord are going head-to-head this weekend in a clash that will shape the FA Women’s Super League title race.Credit:Getty
Foord is into her third season in England but only now, she says, has she truly found her feet. Her recent performances bear that out: the 28-year-old is in career-best form for club and country, which is handy for both as Arsenal close in on their first trophy in four years, and Australia dares to dream of the possibilities at their home Women’s World Cup.
There are times she still has to pinch herself when the magnitude of the footballing CV she’s building and the club she gets to play for every week dawns on her. One of them was when Arsenal legend Ian Wright tweeted that Foord had “low-key been one of our best players for a long time now”.
Two others were against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United earlier this season, when Arsenal – also home to Matildas defender Steph Catley – were able to go close to packing out the Emirates. A bumper crowd is expected again this weekend, which is still novel for the women’s game, but players are slowly becoming accustomed to it.
“Any game at the Emirates is special, but when a crowd starts to roll in and obviously, it being mainly Arsenal fans, it just brings a different energy,” she said.
Caitlin Foord celebrates a goal in the UEFA Women’s Champions League last month against FC Zurich.Credit:Getty
“It’s definitely the games you play for, and this is definitely a massive game for both of us. This season could be won here – it could come down to one game, and it could be this one.
“In a way, I’m kind of getting used to it … from the moment we had big crowds, maybe the first one was kind of like a ‘wow’ like every few seconds in the game – actually thinking about, ‘wow, there’s this many people watching us here.’
“But also the English fans just do it differently and especially at home with Arsenal supporters, there are moments where there’s breaks in play or whatever, and you listen to the chants, or they’re singing my personal chant…”
Here it is, by the way: She’s red, she’s white, she loves the Vegemite – Caitlin Foooooord, Caitlin Fooooooord!
“It’s actually really catchy,” she laughed.
And for the record, it’s true, too, although Foord does tend to eat Vegemite far more in London than when she does back home, for whatever reason.
“When they’re singing it, I catch myself singing it in my head as well. I still hear it all the time, and I think, ‘this is actually so cool.’ It’s still very new for us and something we enjoy, but it’s becoming more normal.”
With star teammates Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema out with long-term injuries, there is extra responsibility on Foord’s shoulders to produce in Arsenal’s final third.
“All of us have to step up, myself included, to take on a [bigger] role,” she said. “There was a lot more pressure on players like Viv and Beth, but I don’t really feel [it] … I just want to be able to do what I can to help the team win, and that’s playing a big role up front, assisting goals, scoring goals and just making stuff happen.”
Into her third season with Arsenal, Caitlin Foord has hit career-best form for both club and country.Credit:Getty
The novelty of going head-to-head with Kerr from opposite sides of the London derby, meanwhile, has worn off – but watching her Matildas strike partner continue to bang in goal after goal has not.
Foord is waiting for her good mate’s exploits to finally be rewarded with a major individual honour; she was snubbed once again for the Ballon d’Or last year, but has now been nominated for the FIFA Best Women’s Player of the Year award, which she ran second in for 2021.
“I’m not surprised she’s up for another award – it’s almost like you can’t keep up anymore,” Foord said.
“To do what she’s done in multiple leagues around the world, back-to-back golden boots and obviously winning the title with Chelsea, banging in goals for the national team … I’m not sure what else you can do to win an award like that. She’s definitely proven herself on all levels of the game. She’s definitely well overdue.”
Soon enough, Foord and Kerr will be on the same team again. Next month, the Matildas will be back home for the Cup of Nations, a friendly tournament that will serve as a dress rehearsal for the World Cup, pitting them against Spain, Czechia and Jamaica – three teams coach Tony Gustavsson has hand-picked to best emulate their Group B opponents.
The time for tweaks and experimentation is over. Everything Gustavsson and his players do between now and then will be geared towards the World Cup, and making sure they’re at their very best when it comes.
That’s why the Swede controversially rested Foord, Kerr and a host of other key players in June when the Matildas had a friendly lined up against Spain. They rolled out a second-string team and were predictably smashed 7-0, and there were calls for Gustavsson’s head, but his decision gave Foord what felt like her first legitimate off-season break in many years – and that, she insists, is paying off now.
“He was doing us a favour, the long-term goal is the World Cup, and it was right in the middle of our off-season,” she said.
“It’s obviously helped us now, and it’s going to help us this year. This time around playing Spain, it will be a different game. They’re an awesome team, full of quality players, so it’ll be a good challenge for us to see where we’re at.
“I’m excited for that, and I’m excited for the whole tournament – it’ll be tough, but it’s exciting, and another opportunity to win a trophy. That’s what we play for. It’d be nice to get that feeling of winning one on home soil.”
Especially with the big one on the horizon – as well as the news that, when the Matildas open their campaign against Ireland on July 20, they’ll do it in front of more than 80,000 people at Accor Stadium.
“It’s crazy to even think [about] – I can’t even imagine. I don’t even know what that would feel like to play in front of a crowd like that,” Foord said. “It will be insane for all of us, even Ireland as well. They couldn’t ask for a better start to their first World Cup. It’ll just be awesome for all of us.”
Watch every match of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League on Stan Sport. Returns for the Round of 16 in February 2023, with all matches streaming ad-free, live and on demand.
