WILLIAMS Lydia

General
HERITAGE
She was raised in the outback desert of Western Australia. Her mother is from the United States of America and her father was an indigenous Australian tribal elder. She was inspired by watching Indigenous Australian sprinter Cathy Freeman win gold in the 400m event at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, and says she also wants to serve as a role model for future indigenous athletes. "It was incredible watching a strong, indigenous women race with the whole world watching. That was kind of the big light bulb moment when I thought, 'Oh wow, this is cool'. I wanted to do that as well. I think being an indigenous role model is pretty incredible. To just inspire one kid [would] be enough for me, but to be involved on a bigger scale and a bigger level, I think that would be the ultimate goal. Giving hope to indigenous kids out in the desert and in different communities." (theislanderonline.com.au, 15 Jul 2019; ABC News YouTube channel, 17 Sep 2020; sbs.com.au, 09 Jun 2016; theguardian.com, 31 May 2015)

ZOOLOGIST
Se says she developed her love of animals while growing up in the outback desert of Western Australia, where she also raised a pet kangaroo. "I didn't really have many friends [growing up] because I was always travelling, so the animals became my friends. I felt really connected to them because they also represented freedom and being one with the land." She volunteered at Canberra Zoo when she lived in the city, and later studied zoology. "I worked there for three years and really liked it. Eventually they offered me a job, so decided to study [zoology] part-time." (thesaturdaypaper.com.au, 12 Jul 2019; olympics.com.au, 08 Nov 2020)

AUTHOR
In 2019 she published a children's book titled 'Saved!!!', while the sequel 'Goal!!!' is due to be published in 2021. The books are based on her upbringing in the outback desert in Western Australia and are influenced by her passion for football and animals. "My story and background is quite unique so a children's book is the perfect vessel to get it out there. Mostly the books are about self-belief and perseverance. It's a bit of an autobiography, a little bit of fantasy and has a good message as well. It encourages kids that no matter what their background is or what challenges are in their way, they can have fun and actually achieve something they enjoy if put their mind to it." (theislanderonline.com.au, 15 Jul 2019; ABC News YouTube channel, 17 Sep 2020)

CLUB JOURNEY
She started her professional career with Canberra United, making her debut in the 2009 W-League season in Australia. In 2012 she moved to Europe and joined Swedish club Pitea IF for the 2012 and 2013 Damallsvenskan seasons. She joined National Women's Soccer League [NWSL] clubs Western New York Flash in 2014 and Houston Dash in 2016, before being loaned to Melbourne City for the 2016/17 W-League season. During the 2017 NWSL season, she was traded from Houston Dash to the Seattle Reign. She moved to English club Arsenal in July 2020 ahead of the 2020/21 Women's Super League [WSL] season. (arsenal.com, 04 Sep 2020; LinkedIn profile, 28 Feb 2021; sounderatheart.com, 31 Aug 2017)