After announcing a two-year contract renewal with Sydney FC, captain Natalie Tobin is excited for the seasons to come and is wanting to set an everlasting legacy.
Since her debut for the Sky Blues in 2013, Nat Tobin has had an incredible career becoming the club’s most decorated A-League Women’s player, including 101 appearances and seven goals.
And she’s intent on a few more after 12 years of professional football.
“I have been here [at Sydney FC] for nearly half my life. I am very proud to have been here that long. I am very happy to be here.
“It is very exciting. I didn’t have any plans to go anywhere else. I love this club,” the 27-year old shared.
“I really love it. I wouldn’t be playing at this level and committing this much time to it if I didn’t love it and I think that’s why women’s football has grown. People see that we do it because we love it. We don’t get paid a lot for it. It is difficult juggling full time work with football but I am not willing to give it up just yet.”
Natalie Tobin’s thoughts on balancing professional football and full-time work.
Despite the trials and tribulations that come with professional sport, the midfielder’s career within the A-League has been nothing short of incredible.
Tobin has successfully captained her side to two of the last three Premiers Plate wins and a famous Championship win in 2023 against Western United.
With a potential back-to-back Premiers Plate and Grand Final win on the line, Tobin is willing to do what it takes to see Sydney FC’s cabinetry continue to expand.
“We are on the brink of the double, double.
“This team is very successful and I want to continue that legacy,” she shared.
The opening round for the 2023/2024 fixture didn’t go to plan after the Sydney native hailing from Wahroonga went down in front of a record crowd with a ruptured ACL.
The long term injury forced Tobin to remain on the sideline as her squad pushed to make the top spot on the Liberty A-League ladder.
“I haven’t had the best luck this year with my ACL injury… but the intention is there to continue racking up the performances and silverware.
“I feel great. It is all on track. I have been running. It has started feeling really good. There’s no swelling post running. It is quite contained. I am feeling positive about it,” she said.
However, Tobin gives all the credit to her team-mates for their ongoing success and shares her continuous support for Kirsty Fenton, who unfortunately ruptured her ACL in round 20 against Wellington Phoenix.
“The girls have so much resilience. We have had a lot of things thrown at us this season in terms of injury. The team keeps riding the waves which is incredible.
“Unfortunately we have seen Kirsty go down with it [ACL rupture] and it has been really heartbreaking. I am hoping I can provide her with that support. She is very resilient. She had a knee injury at the start of the season and came back incredibly well and I think she’ll do the same this time around,” Tobin added.
In light of the hurdles that have come against the skipper and the Sydney FC squad, Tobin is focused on one thing: going out with a bang.
“For the next two years, my sole focus is committing to a good run with Sydney FC. I love the partnership I have with Ante. I think we work really well together. I want to continue working with Ante and continue winning trophies,” she concluded.
