It’s a beautiful sunny morning in Sydney’s northern suburbs. It is also the first weekend of community football since the lockdown ended. The air is filled with the sounds of delighted children – they’re all just happy to finally be playing football again.
In this busy setting, it would be easy to miss a young woman who has just finished coaching one of the youth teams. This 19 year old has already achieved so much: three seasons in the W-League, a senior international cap and a scholarship to one of the biggest college football programs in the United States.
However, Rachel Lowe is not one to rest on her laurels – she has her eyes on the highest levels of the game.
As with all footballers, being out of the team environment during the lockdown presented challenges for Lowe. She has since resumed training with the Future Matildas, but at the time of our interview Lowe was improvising to keep in shape, helped by national team and youth football connections.
“I’m doing all my fitness on my own. We got the program from the Matildas, Young Matildas. They sent out a daily schedule on what to do, and then I’ve got some friends that play NPL, so I’ve been training with them.
“During COVID, I was training with the boys at Northern Tigers for a little bit, and I trained with the 1st Grade Women’s team for a couple of sessions. I kept in touch with Jason Eagar and Pat O’Sullivan [Tigers Women’s team co-coaches]. Pat was my coach when I was in the U12s. I know them – it’s like a family at Tigers – so it was easy for me to come back and train with them.”
Lowe has also been trying her hand at coaching youth players in her local association. When we met, she had just finished filling in as coach for the Lindfield Under 9s and had also gotten involved in the academy scene.
“I contacted Lindfield and one of the head coaches owns a local academy so it kind of all just fell into place. I’ve started doing some stuff with them, which has been really good, and then I do some one-on-ones with the young local kids.”
Lowe is quite connected to Sydney’s northern suburbs. After starting at West Pymble FC, she was spotted by Northern Tigers at a holiday camp and spent her early years there before heading to Football NSW Institute. Her rise didn’t stop there – if anything it gained momentum. Unlike most players, Lowe skipped the Junior Matildas, instead getting her first national team experience with the Young Matildas at a very early age.
“I went straight to the Young Matildas. I think I was in a weird age group where I was just too old for the Junior Matildas, but then really young for the Young Matildas, so I played for the Young Matildas from when I was 14, 15.
“Craig Foster, he was my coach at Institute and he put me forward for the Young Matildas. I went up to a trial game in Newcastle and from there got asked into camp, and then went to China” for the qualifiers for the 2017 AFC U-19 Championship, held in November 2016.
Things got even better after the qualifiers. Just before her 16th birthday, she made her W-League debut for Western Sydney Wanderers, and in a Sydney Derby no less!
“I came back from China and then debuted against Sydney FC at Allianz [Stadium]. It was Round 2. We missed Round 1 because we were away. I’ve never played in a stadium like that, and I wasn’t really expecting to debut as soon as I got back, because obviously I hadn’t really been in preseason.”
Lowe continued to impress in both the NPL NSW and the W-League. Although Football NSW Institute found results hard to come by in 2017, finishing 8th out of 10 teams, she ended the campaign with a good goalscoring record with 8 goals in 16 appearances. This was enough for her to earn a second season with the Wanderers. In the 2017-18 season, Lowe made eight appearances and scored her first W-League goal in a 4-3 victory over Perth Glory.
She had done well, however nothing could have prepared her for what was to happen after the season. No player expects their first call up to the senior Matildas, but it would be an understatement to say that Lowe was shocked to be selected by Alen Stajcic for the 2018 Algarve Cup. When she heard the news, it was just another training day with Football NSW Institute. Hours later, Lowe was training alongside Australia’s top footballers, replacing an injured Emily Gielnik.
“I was driving to Institute. It was my first time on my P-Plates, and I get a call. My phone didn’t have Bluetooth with the car so I just left it, and then I parked at Valentine [Sports Park], took my phone, and it was Staj.”
‘Where are you?’
‘I just pulled up at training.’
‘Well turn the car around, because you’re leaving on a flight tonight to Portugal.’
“I just raced home, packed my bags, and then was at the airport two hours later. It was crazy. I didn’t see the Matildas call-up coming at all, really. I wasn’t even aware that I was being looked at for that, so that was a bit of a shock.
“It was pretty daunting to be honest, considering that I hadn’t really had much time to prepare mentally. The level’s definitely a big step from Young Matildas to Matildas. It’s obviously their job, so they take it really seriously. Everything’s faster, everyone’s stronger.”
Despite the steep learning curve, she clearly did enough in Matildas training to impress. Lowe was rewarded with her first senior international cap at the age of 17.
85' | DEBUT |
Congratulations to Rachel Lowe, who comes on for @lisadevanna11, to make her @TheMatildas debut. #201 1-0 #AUSvCHN #GoMatildas #AlgarveCup2018
— Westfield Matildas (@TheMatildas) March 5, 2018
“It was kind of surreal, the moment. Honestly, I think I had a million thoughts in my mind, but I was just happy to get on. It was also nice having Gary [van Egmond] there, because he was the Young Matildas coach. That helped my progression into that team, because both the Young Matildas and the Matildas play a pretty similar style, so it was not like I was being thrown into a different system altogether.”
Lowe’s personal whirlwind continued: less than two weeks later, the Young Matildas had the rare opportunity to play a home game against Thailand in Sydney. She had the honour of captaining the side in front of family and friends.
“My school was there, my parents, my grandparents. It was really special, because we never play at home really. It’s always in Asia, so no-one can watch.”
2018 was also the year of her final NPL NSW season at Institute. They had struggled the previous year, but this season would be different.
Very different.
Institute scored 77 goals in 22 games to be the second highest scorers in the competition, and the precocious side ended up one game away from making that year’s Grand Final. The club didn’t just have the best youngsters in NSW but were also able to recruit Kyra Cooney-Cross and MelindaJ Barbieri from Victoria. Lowe, Susan Phonsongkham, Courtney Nevin and the two Victorians all finished the campaign with double figure goal tallies, while Nevin was named joint Player of the Year with Kylie Ledbrook.
“That Institute team with Leah [Blayney as coach], it was like an accumulation of all the Young Matildas and it was the place to be. It was a really good team to be a part of, especially being young and playing up for first Grade. it was a good experience and pushed everyone.”
In case she didn’t have enough on her plate, things were progressing rapidly with one of the biggest women’s college football programs in the United States. UCLA’s interest put Lowe in the unusual position of having to complete tertiary entrance exams for two different countries.
“I was always looking to go to college. I always wanted to experience it because obviously, the US are the best team in the world, so you know they have a good system where they can pump out good players and it’s a good environment for them to be in.
“They got in touch about 2017, I was committed by 2018. It was quite late though, because lots of people commit to college in Year 9 or 10. Especially over in the States they commit really young.
“I did my SATs [the USA’s entrance exam] for college. I did that before my HSC, so I already knew that I was going to college. It took pressure off my HSC.”
Lowe was now headed into her third season with the Wanderers, and although the team would struggle, things continued to go well for her on a personal level.
“I think my last season there was really good. I started basically every game. I was playing in a pretty important role in the midfield, so I felt like I had quite a key role in the team, whereas the other two years I felt as though I was a bit on the fringes. I think as I got older, the coaches put more trust in me.
“I don’t think we had the season we anticipated, but it was nice to get a lot of minutes and it was positive for me. It was good experience in a good league.”
After a break following the 2018-19 W-League campaign, it was off to California to start a new adventure. Relocating to a new country, starting university studies – these things can be stressful, especially when done simultaneously. Luckily, an Australian connection helped her with the move. Teagan Micah was about to start her final year at UCLA, and there were other faces that she recognised as well.
“I was in contact with [Teagan] a lot, so she was kind of giving me the lowdown, and she loved it, so that was really positive for me. Then I did an official visit, so I went over there, met the coaches, met the players, and I had seen some of the players around. Jessie Fleming plays for Canada. I saw her at the Algarve Cup so she was a familiar face. I saw her, got shown around the campus. It was nice to actually see where I was going to be. It’s like a top three, top four program in the States consistently, so it was a bit of a no-brainer.”
Despite having a fellow Australian in the squad, adjusting to her new surroundings presented its challenges: a different culture, balancing football with studies, and battling many high quality players for playing time.
“I came a semester early, because they recommend that for internationals, just to get used to it, so I was the only freshman there. Obviously not having the rest of your class there was a bit tough, so I was just friends with the older players, but it was good to settle in. My second semester, when all the other freshmen came, that was really fun.
“They have some top players there. I was training with Under-20s Mexican, American, Canadian, Nicaraguan and then a few full team national players. It’s a quite different style as well, it’s quite fast paced. Their training’s quite one on one, so that was a bit of a shock, but the training intensity was really good. I definitely learnt new skills and adapted my game.
“All of the lecturers, they’re really understanding if you’re travelling. They had a specific person who managed everyone’s academics. I was away with the Young Matildas, so doing exams and keeping up with homework did get a bit tough with the time zones, but it was fun.”
In the end, Lowe was happy with her game time, especially considering she had to juggle UCLA with the Young Matildas.
“It was a bit of a weird season for me. I played the first game of the PAC-12 season [the conference that UCLA plays in], then went away with the Young Matildas, and then came back for the finals. I literally missed the majority of the season, which was tough because obviously, if you’re a coach and a player’s been away for the whole season, they keep the same team they’ve been playing with.”
Lowe played in UCLA’s semi-final loss to Stanford, and that would end up being her last action for the team. After she returned to Sydney, a combination of factors led her to make the difficult decision not to go back to California. The impact of COVID-19, the successful Australia/New Zealand Women’s World Cup bid and her Matildas ambitions all played a part.
“A big part of that was not knowing when I can travel back, if I can travel back, and then all the uncertainties with the season due to the pandemic. The coaching staff were really understanding, saying ‘we thought that was going to happen, we’ve got a lot of internationals that are not going to be able to come back.’”
Now that Lowe is back home, her vision is firmly set on her next move as well as adding to her single senior cap. With three seasons in the W-League under her belt, she is in a good position to make an impression domestically. Lowe also aims to eventually follow in the footsteps of many Australians by moving abroad.
“That’s part of the reason I came back, to play W-League, have a good season, put my best foot forward. I’m also thinking about the 2021 Olympics, it’s been pushed back a year, that gives me another year to develop and grow. We had a group Zoom call with Ivan [Jolic], the Matildas assistant, and he said ‘Tokyo’s been pushed back, that should be the opportunity for you young ones.’ I’m always looking to try and break in and actually stay in the team.
“I’ve always wanted to play in England. I’ve got a British passport, so that really helps. England’s really investing in women’s football, and I mean, they’re training at the same grounds as the men, so the facilities are unreal.”
That’s not to say that Lowe is only interested in England should she decide to move overseas.
“I’m open to everything really, just somewhere that I’ll get good game time but also be pushed at the same time.”
However, if this year has shown us anything, it’s that nothing can be taken for granted. Lowe is aware that life beyond football is equally important, and the 19 year old takes her education seriously.
“I think COVID showed that football is something that can be taken away from you. Education’s always been important to me. I will keep studying and always want to have a backup plan, because football doesn’t last forever. I’m just doing a very general business degree, but then I’ll either go to sport & exercise science, or stay in business and go down the accounting, economics route.”
Lowe’s journey from the northern suburbs of Sydney to California, with Young Matildas, W-League and senior Matildas recognition along the way, feels like it’s happened in the blink of an eye. What’s more, it doesn’t seem like slowing down anytime soon. Three years ago, she was a 16 year old with a dream. Three years from now, who knows? Lowe could well be lining up for the Matildas at a home World Cup – you wouldn’t bet against it.
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