Perth Glory defender Natalie Tathem says the live telecasting of women’s football games has powered the sport to fresh heights – and will help pave the way for it to become a fulltime career.

Speaking ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8, the 29-year-old In Awe brand ambassador said she’d witnessed many positive changes since taking up the sport as a 12-year-old.

“I had to join a boys’ team when I first started playing football and now we’re seeing little boys and girls coming to watch our Ninja A-League games, which is awesome,” explained Tathem.

“Being able to watch women’s football live on TV has played a big part in that.”

Tathem, who also works as an occupational therapist, said International Women’s Day was an opportune time to not only reflect on how far the sport had come but to also look ahead to the future.

“There’s been a lot of incredible progress in the past 17 years, but I’m eagerly awaiting the day young girls can aspire to play football fulltime, like boys do, and begin a second career after their sporting journey ends,” she shared.

“Female football players just want to be treated the same, irrespective of wages, and I’m positive that will happen in my lifetime.

“My message to young girls is to put time and effort into the sport because the future is bright.”

A committed Ninja A-League campaigner, Tathem is also currently readying for another football adventure – this time indoors.

In May, she’ll compete in the 2025 AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup tournament in China with the Australian women’s national futsal team.

“Futsal, which I discovered while watching my brother play basketball as an 11-year-old, was my first love and it actually led me to football,” Tathem explained.

“If we qualify in China, we head to the inaugural Futsal Women’s World Cup in the Philippines in December, so it’s really exciting.”

Stay tuned to In Awe’s social media for exciting Perth Glory ticket giveaways and more as we celebrate our official partnership!

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