I still remember the excruciating tension and emotion in our living room as the Matildas took on France in a penalty shootout during the FIFA Women's World Cup last year. Our entire family was entranced, exploding with emotion at every shot.
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Waiting in the wings was Newcastle's Clare Wheeler. While included in the Matildas squad that captured the hearts of our nation, Wheeler was one of several players unused throughout the World Cup.
She is a testament to patience, endurance, and seizing opportunities. As Renee Valentine reports in Weekender, Wheeler's journey started with Adamstown Rosebud Junior Football Club aged 10 at the encouragement of a friend. She honed her skills at Hunter Sports High and came through the Emerging Jets program before earning a W-League contract with the Jets as a 15-year-old.
And this month, our own Wheeler will represent Australia in her first Olympic Games in Paris.
There has been a lot of talk of washouts in community soccer circles following June's horrendous weather, where almost all of the rain fell on weekends, true story - it did not just feel that way.
Our football clubs have done what they can, but a Newcastle Herald correspondent rightly points out it was a period of lost opportunity for the development of our young soccer stars, dreaming of their own World Cup or Olympics one day.
Here's hoping for a break in the weather, and perhaps playing fields that can handle some water.
In the coming weeks you will be hearing a lot more from us about our Olympians, including Genevieve Janse van Rensburg, Ky Willott, Spencer Turrin and Torrie Lewis.
But no matter what happens in Paris, we're all behind Wheeler and every other Hunter export representing their country in the most elite sporting competition in the world.
Enjoy your Sunday, hopefully it's not another washout.
Lisa Allan, editor
