“Soccer really instilled the confidence in me that I was lacking.” For Steph Grech, playing football has taught her to believe in herself. “I’m not really a confident person overall… but when I played soccer I had confidence. I didn’t really care what anyone else said.” 

At 12 years old, Steph found herself in the stands at the A-League with her family, wondering whether she might play football. At that point in her life, dancing and little athletics were her focus. As her brother and cousins started playing football, it dawned on her. “I’m the only one [in the family] not playing.” After some encouragement from her dad and grandfather, she decided to step onto the pitch. She hasn’t looked back since.

The George Cross SC captain offers passion and love for all she endeavors, and at just 20 years old, she speaks with so much maturity on what it takes to be a leader on and off the pitch. 

Steph’s connection to her club stems from her family. Her uncle is a life member, her dad and brother both played there and her grandfather was a member as well. Playing at George Cross is just one way she connects with those closest to her. “Dad always tells me, as long as you enjoy it, that’s all that matters.” Listening to Steph speak, the importance of family, both in football and life, is clear. “I always go back to them, I always rely on my family. [They’re] really core to me.” 

At just 14 years old, Steph faced the biggest obstacle of her football journey. She tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). “Everything just stopped,” she recalls. Steph missed out on two seasons of football in her pinnacle stages of youth. Writing this, I don’t know many people who have suffered this injury at such a young age, one where freedom and growth is key. “To be honest, it was challenging but it made me grow a lot, and made me appreciate injuries, warm up and recovery 10 times more.”

The injury sparked Steph’s passion for physiotherapy, which she now studies. Steph explains that a lot of her time is dedicated towards university, as “there are endless amounts of opportunities, and I’m still surrounded by football.”

It is inspiring and heart warming to see Steph bounce back from such a serious injury and take on the role of captain at George Cross. “I’ve always wanted to push myself. Because of my family, I wanted to be captain.” Steph is driving her team to success as they strive for promotion from State League Three. “We’ve put a lot of hard work into it,” Steph says. “It’ll be a cherry on the top.” 

One of the highlights for Steph this year was the team’s knockout cup run, which saw them make the quarter finals. “When there's the Nike F.C Cup you get sucked in a bit. It was a really good experience overall.” Reflecting on the match that ended their run, Steph admits that it was a tough ending, albeit against a side four tiers above George Cross. “Their game is ten times faster than ours and we all felt it. But it was good playing against them… just seeing what level the team needs to be at.” 

Despite the difficulty of balancing a busy lifestyle of football, university and work, the connection to the game is worth it for Steph. She has a close unit in her George Cross team, and with the club having recently dedicated significant resources into women’s football, she expresses more enjoyment than ever this season.

Steph speaks with great optimism not just about the current season, but about what might come next for her team. “I feel so grateful to be a part of it.” The growth in women’s football, both locally and globally, excites her. With a World Cup on home soil in 2023, there’s plenty to look forward to. “I’m going to go… you just have to. They’ve [the Matildas] got a chance to win.”

It was inspiring to listen to Steph speak about her life experiences and knowledge at such a young age. There is plenty to be learnt from her honesty and openness in speaking about her journey so far. Her love for family, football and study are things I connect with, and her determination to enjoy football at whatever level is undeniable. 

“That adrenalin [in football]”, she says, “I just feel free.”