SATCHELL Paige

General
CLUB CAREER
In 2019 she signed her first professional contract when she moved to German side SC Sand. She made nine appearances in her one season at the club, before signing with Australian W-League side Canberra United in November 2020. She said she was glad to be moving closer to home after the challenges of playing abroad in Germany. "All of the communication coming from the coaches was in German and it was a bit hard to know exactly what people wanted you to be doing. But in saying that, I really did enjoy my experience in Germany so there's no regrets. It was a great learning opportunity for myself. The W-League has always been a big point of interest for myself and it's always been a league that I have aspired to be a part of." (newschainonline.com, 13 Nov 2020; stuff.co.nz, 30 Nov 2020)

EDUCATION
She switched majors in her first year of university, changing from sport and exercise science to sport management, as she was training in football full-time and wanted to study a degree that allowed her to learn remotely. She continued studying when she moved to Germany in July 2019 and said she was able to balance both her training and her education. "It's definitely achievable to study alongside other commitments. It might take you a bit longer to complete your study, but by being patient and working hard, I believe you can succeed with both goals. I have always been interested in working in the sports industry, and this course fits into my lifestyle by being fully available online and by doing it via distance, I can [play] and keep up my studies. By the time my football career is over, I will have my degree." (massey.ac.nz, 01 May 2019)

KNEE INJURY
In 2017 she suffered an injury to her anterior cruciate ligament [knee] and was out for 10 months after surgery. "It was scary at times, obviously it was a bad injury going through knee surgery and there was a lot of rehab involved. I had a lot of support to be able to do that the best I could and get back playing to where I was before. One of the first questions I asked my surgeon when I found out I had done [my ACL] was, 'Am I still going to have my speed?' But I rehabbed really well and I'm back to normal and I still have my skills and my pace. To come out the other side stronger and fitter than I've ever been is amazing." (rnz.co.nz, 10 Jun 2019; nzfootball.co.nz, 21 Feb 2019; nzfootball.co.nz, 18 Apr 2018)