My Westfield Matildas Story: Caitlin Foord – ‘You wait four years for this one moment'
While most 16-year-olds are focused on hanging with friends and maybe picking up a part-time job while at school, Caitlin Foord had bigger things on her mind.
In a series of exclusive interviews for www.matildas.com.au, we are catching up with Ante Milicic's 23-player squad in the build-up to the World Cup.
Today we hear from Foord, who at just 16 was a surprise pick for the Westfield Matildas at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany in 2011.
Playing alongside some of her heroes in Green and Gold and mixing it with the world's best was the realisation of an ambition she had harboured ever since she first kicked a ball in the coastal town of Shellharbour, south of Sydney.
“When I got picked at the young age of 16 to go to the 2011 World Cup I realised I was living my dream,” Foord told www.matildas.com.au.
That was the start of the reality of me being a professional footballer. It’s been an amazing journey and the bar for me has kept getting higher.
“I was a part of the shift of the movement with the Matildas. The goal and the dream keep changing and just got bigger and bigger.”
READ MORE: The Aussie officials wielding the whistle at the World Cup
WATCH: The time is now, says record goalscorer Lisa De Vanna
GET TO KNOW THE SQUAD: Goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, forwards
Now an established member of the squad, with 71 caps to her credit, Foord has played a key role in the rise of the Westfield Matildas in recent years.
This current group of players have achieved some strong results in the last 24 months and head to France as the sixth-ranked nation in women’s football.
For 24-year-old Foord, there is a real belief that the squad can achieve something special.
“It’s a long wait for a short tournament. You wait four years for this one moment,” she said.
“It’s what we play the game for – to be on the world stage and having the whole world watching. To play games where you have to win, to do [it] at all cost."
WATCH: Sam Kerr's Westfield Matildas story
COUNTDOWN: 27, 26, 25, 24, 23, 22, 21, 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9 days to go
Watch the full video at the top of this page.
Click below to #GetOnside for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023™ in Australia