Ray on path to play for nation

AS A new chapter in Australian football dawns, a Townsville product is preparing to ensure her sacrifices, struggles and efforts are not for nothing.

News of Australia and New Zealand’s successful bid for the 2023 Women’s FIFA World Cup was met with elation by Taylor Ray, who has now begun to map her avenue from rising W-league star to the Matildas. The Sydney FC midfielder has already represented the junior national side and was forced to overcome a torrid run of severe knee injuries to feature in her side’s grand final appearance this year.

While the next step for the 19-year-old is to pull on the Sky Blue again, she hopes to make her way to America in the near future to test herself against the best of the best and put herself in the frame for a World Cup berth.

“To get into the Matildas you want to get that chemistry with the girls, so playing with them consistently will have a positive impact on your game,” Ray said. “You’re versing some of the best players in the world, if you’re consistently playing with and against them you’re going to improve your game so much more.

“I think it’s just such an amazing thing for young players my age because it gives us the time to develop as a player and person years.

“I’m so stoked about it, Australia deserves it. It’s going to create so many opportunities for women’s sport, this is going to develop the whole sport and Australia in general.”

Ray has now turned her focus to a return of the New South Wales NPL competition, where she will line up for Sydney Olympic.

There, she hopes to begin fine-tuning her skillset as she aims to build greater confidence taking on opposition defences. It is in this area she believes a national level player needs to excel, and harnessing that could be her ticket into the Australian set-up.

Disappointingly for Ray, her hometown of Townsville was not a part of the World Cup bid – Brisbane being the only Queensland host city.

She said this was a missed opportunity given how the exposure of football’s elite to the community could have enhanced the engagement of the sport in North Queensland.

However there is still the prospect of holding other international fixtures in the lead-up to the event, and Ray said this was a chance that needed to be taken.

“To promote the game in that kind of area would really help improve the type of players you get from around Australia,” she said. within the three