In this series of Beyond 90 articles, a standard set of questions is posed to women who have different roles both in and around the 2019-2020 edition of the W-League.
This instalment focuses on the role of Team Coach, with Matildas legend and Canberra United coach Heather Garriock in the spotlight.
Previous instalments in this series:
The Team Captain
The Referee
A Player’s Mother
The Photographer
1. Who or what got you into the game of football?
My Dad, he’s Scottish and played at a semi-pro level. I remember spending every weekend at football as a kid with him, wearing my boots and shinnies all day.
2. What is your favourite memory of a football game?
The Socceroos against Uruguay when they qualified for the World Cup in 2005. I remember the train ride full of green and gold, then that penalty and the roar in the stadium.
3. What was your first W-league game?
Season 1 in 2008/09 against Perth as a player, and season 10 in 2017/18 as a coach.
4. Who is your favourite female player in the world? And favourite coach ?
Favourite player is Dutch striker Vivianne Miedema, she plays with a finesse about her and is a prolific goalscorer.
Favourite coach would be Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp. His authentic character and genuine belief for his players is admirable. His tactical ability goes alright too 😉 …. a quality coach and leader, he has taken Liverpool to another level.
5. What is your game day routine?Â
For a McKellar Park home game, the day starts with a family breakfast, usually crepes on a Sunday cooked by my hubby. I like to go shopping to take my mind off football in the morning or take the kids to the park. A coffee is a must 😊.
I’ll come home for a light lunch and I recap the key messages for the game. I don’t usually talk much at lunch – it’s all in my head.
Shower and put my lucky earrings on, I’ve had a lot of changes the past few seasons.
On the way to the game I pump some tunes out.
My game day preparation as a coach is very different from how my preparation used to be as a player.
6. What is one thing that will always make you think of football?
The Australian national anthem, it takes me back to the playing days when I was holding my team-mates’ hands before a game.
