Keeper wins prestigious 'Deadly' Award
Qantas Matildas and Young Matildas goalkeeper Lydia Williams last night won the prestigious title of Female Sportsperson of the Year at the 2006 Deadly Awards. The Deadlys are the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Awards, celebrating Indigenous excellence in music, sport, the arts, entertainment and community achievement.
Qantas Matildas and Young Matildas goalkeeper Lydia Williams last night won the prestigious title of Female Sportsperson of the Year at the 2006 Deadly Awards. The Deadlys are the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Awards, celebrating Indigenous excellence in music, sport, the arts, entertainment and community achievement.
Lydia was named ahead of other nominees for the award in netballer Bianca Franklin, and basketball duo Michelle Musselwhite and Rohanee Cox. Previous winners in the category include Olympic gold medalist Cathy Freeman.
Boxer Anthony Mundine was named 2006 Male Sportsperson of the year.
“I-m very proud and honoured to have won the award especially considering all the great names that have won an award in the sporting category over the years,” said Lydia Williams.
“I would also like to say a big thank you to all the people that have assisted me over the years. There are too many people to mention but special thanks to my family and all the coaches that have been so supportive.”
Lydia, who grew up in various parts of rural Western Australia including Kalgoorlie and who now lives in Canberra, has already represented Australia on four occasions at the age of just 18, including at July-s AFC Women-s Asian Cup where the Qantas Matildas finished second and in the process qualified for the 2007 FIFA Women-s World Cup. She also recently returned from Russia having represented the Qantas Young Matildas at the FIFA U-20 Women-s World Championship for whom she has made a total of ten appearances. Lydia will still be eligible for the 2008 tournament.
“It is a great honour for Lydia and it also great recognition for the sport of women-s football,” said Qantas Matildas coach Tom Sermanni.
“Lydia trains with tremendous intensity and with a maturity that belies her youth, yet off the field she is just like any other youngster her age.
“Looking at other goalkeepers at the recent U-20 World Championship Lydia is comfortably the equivalent of the best goalkeepers in the world at that level.
“Lydia has a fantastic future and if she maintains her work ethic, and with her natural ability there is no reason why she can-t go on to become a great of the game for Australia at international level.”
Nominations were selected in late July with winners decided by public vote and announced last night at the Sydney Opera House.
Further background information available at the following website:-
Qantas Socceroo defender Jade North won an award in 2002 in the ‘Most Promising New Talent in Sport- category.
North, along with Travis Dodd, last month became the first pair of indigenous Australians to appear in the same Qantas Socceroo line-up, while in the same match Dodd became the first indigenous Australian to score for the Socceroos in a full international.
Further background information on Lydia available on the FFA website at the following link:-